


Heavy Lies the Crown

by septemberashes



Category: the GazettE
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Ancient Japan, M/M, Multi, dont worry you all know them, not relevant to the actual japanese history lmao, other jrockers as minor characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2018-05-13 23:14:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 42,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5720644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/septemberashes/pseuds/septemberashes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before samurais. Before shoguns and their authoritarian shogunates. Aoi was the royal priest of the northern kingdom based in Ancient Japan, which its inhabitants called Yamato. He was revered as a deity here with his exquisite fair hair and ability to instill immense faith and unparalleled bravery into soldiers. Upper Yamato’s Emperor Kai had never lost a war with Aoi by his side ever since he had ascended to the throne, yet the god’s powers weren’t limitless, as they have seemed to be. The northern kingdom soon got to taste the bitterness of defeat at the hands of its southern counterpart with Aoi forcefully taken away as a prisoner of war. Regardless of the priest’s god-like status in his homeland, the kingdom’s talisman was merely a slave in the hands of their enemy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> beta = Isabella_Nightmare on AO3/ravennightmare6 on LJ 
> 
> author's notes crossposted from my LJ:
> 
> Just to give you guys a heads-up, there's a lot of things to take note of before you read. Let's try to visualise the setting.
> 
> Firstly, the two kingdoms (completely made up by me) - Upper Yamato and Lower Yamato - are both located on the Japanese archipelago (which isn't made up by me lol). Upper Yamato being the northern kingdom, Lower - the southern one. Although you may pick up this information while reading the fic, I would just like to clarify this information ^^ The border that roughly (roughly) separates the kingdoms will be the Japanese Alps, but I would rather take a pen and draw along the southern borders of Toyama, Nagano and Shizuoka prefectures - half of the administrative Chubu region, so to speak)
> 
> Secondly, most geographical places identified in the fic are real to help you navigate through the chapter (and story). Although I did some research while writing this fic, I realize that the naming of cities/places/regions back then could be not consistent with the time period, in which I've set this story (since the rulers tend to change the name of the cities they occupied). Unless there's no existing ancient name for that particular geographical site, I would retain its modern name. So please, if you are a Japanese history major or know Japanese history and notice something historically incorrect, please correct me :) Otherwise, the story is set somewhere between the 8th century to 10th century AD.
> 
> Now onto the historical namings/terminology/references (in the order they appear in this chapter):
> 
> Edo = ancient Tokyo  
> Great Island = reference to Honshu (mainland Japan)  
> Ezochi = ancient Hokkaido  
> Yamato = most predominant race in Japan (your typical Japanese people, in other words)  
> Silla = a kingdom existing on the Korean peninsula during that time  
> Empress Dowager = mother of the current emperor  
> Prime graduate = the participant who achieved the highest score in imperial examinations (which determined who could become a goverment official)  
> Western barbarians = a reference to Europeans/Non-Asian people in the West  
> Coup d'etat = overthrowing the government, roughly speaking. Although this term was only coined in 13th century, I used it in this chapter because it best describes the situation.  
> Ryukyu Kingdom = a kingdom existing on the Ryukyuan Islands (i.e. Okinawa), so the southernmost point of Japan  
> Heian-kyo = ancient Kyoto
> 
> I am really sorry if this long-ass author's note is too cumbersome to read, but it might really help you understand the story's setting better. Oh, also remember that ancient times were kind of...misogynistic. Like, very. And they believed in the existence of deities living among them (Japanese emperors are said to be descendants of the goddess Amaterasu). So please keep that in mind.

**A/N:** And also, reference to the long blond/white-haired Aoi -  [image 1](https://pp.vk.me/c9572/u108866310/144593320/y_89791de1.jpg) & [image 2](https://pp.vk.me/c9572/u108866310/144593320/x_4abd1795.jpg)

 

***

_Edo 1, the capital of Upper Yamato_

 

Winter covered the barren soil with a thick sheet of snow, causing him to stumble occasionally as heavy footfalls dove into the cold mattress. Despite being wrapped in a fur overcoat, Aoi could still feel the chill with his face being completely exposed to the harsh weather, vapour constantly leaving his mouth whenever he parted his lips to exhale; yet regardless of the season, he persistently hiked this mountain every week, heading for one small natural hot spring where playful snow monkeys would sometimes gather when the cold hit the capital. Snowflakes decorated his almost similarly fair, bordering to white, hair like a halo, subtly indicating his divine presence.

 

His Majesty wasn’t particularly fond of his weekly solitary ventures outside the palace, emphasizing on the necessity of guards to protect him, who held such a high status in the kingdom. _“Even gods are not invincible against the ill wishes of the mortals,”_ Kai would warn him every time Aoi asked for the emperor’s permission to leave the premises of the palace. While the emperor’s orders were absolute, Aoi skillfully used his position as Kai’s childhood playmate and closest confidant to turn the situation to his favour.

 

 _“For our people to harm the one who brought fortune to their land would be undeniably a foolish deed,”_ was the priest’s perpetual reluctant but convincing reply. As conceited as it sounded - Aoi unfortunately noted that - there was a grain of truth within the statement, which always manifested as the commoners’ reverence and humble requests for Aoi to bless their abodes whenever he turned up in town. Seeing no harm outside after many years, Aoi had started leaving the palace without servants. _“A deity or not, Your humble servant is still one of your people and wishes to understand the life and needs of the commoners,”_ he would reiterate; humbly assimilating into society had proven to bear more fruitful results than merely leaving the palace for blessing in ostentatious festive clothing surrounded by a myriad of guards. While the absence of servants had made him appear more approachable to commoners, the town’s folk still respectfully kept their distance from, who they considered, a deity. Which was for the better, since he wished to be alone at the place to which he pilgrimaged every week. Although the mountain held no official sacred status in the nation, to Aoi it was his personal sanctuary where he could get away from the hustle and bustle of the palace and town. On the way there, he could also gaze upon breathtaking scenery over the vast expanse of their capital, with its neatly arranged array of houses and busy streets in comparative silence.

 

The mountain trail was easy to follow, thus town’s people’s presence would be sometimes unavoidable, but with this fairly harsh weather the place had become completely deserted apart from snow monkeys and winter birds. Therefore, it came as a surprise to Aoi to see a lone figure perched on one of those big rocks surrounding the natural pool of steaming water as he reached his destination. As he drew nearer, the shapeless silhouette morphed into a slender young lady with long dark hair, donned in a coat made of a thin looking material, showing the edges of a kimono with yellow embroideries around them. Upon noticing Aoi coming closer, the young lady quickly hopped down the rock and kowtowed before him.

 

“Your Excellency, please forgive me for my intrusion,” she apologized to Aoi, her accent not weaving with familiarity into him. Was she from the outermost borders of their kingdom? It was not unusual for people from the further parts of the state to travel to the capital, but this was the first time Aoi heard this certain pitch and timbre of voice.

 

“Please rise, young lady, I came here as an ordinary person too,” Aoi smiled at her nevertheless, noticing her remarkable height, which was rare among petite Yamato females, as she rose to her feet. Most of the inhabitants of the capital also knew about his ventures into the mountain, thus prevented themselves from going up there unnecessarily, in order to give their royal priest some sort of privacy. Gaining newfound company didn’t come across as a huge deal to Aoi, even though it defeated his purpose of self-isolation. In the end he was one of _their_ people, the humble servant of the Great Emperor Kai. “Are you not from around here?”

 

“Your humble subject is a mere peasant from the Kingdom of Lower Yamato, so I wasn’t aware of the fact that Your Excellency frequents this particular place on his own.”

 

And this perfectly explained her peculiar accent. During the course of his priesthood at the royal shrine, Aoi had an opportunity to meet ambassadors from the southern kingdom, who was Upper Yamato’s closest neighbour and obviously took up the southern part of this Great Island2. Legend told that people of both nations hailed from one common ancestor but had been separated into two distinct kingdoms for centuries, despite retaining the same language. The only difference was the accent and jargon but that was also pertinent to the tribes within their kingdom. This prompted Aoi to recall that two years ago, His Majesty had overtaken one northernmost island, naming it Ezochi3. This newly annexed place had only initially been populated by the tribe people called the Ainu, who spoke a completely unrelated language to the Yamato4 people. Now the Ainu were the subjects of Upper Yamato, even though they were completely unrelated to the Upper Yamato people unlike the citizens of the southern kingdom. Maybe one day the Yamato people would be unified again, but Aoi deemed it to be a foolish thought, since both nations seemed to be content with their current state of living.

 

“The weather here is probably harsher than down in the South?” Aoi offered his fur coat to the young lady who bowed to him in veneration but politely refused his offer.

 

Now that the priest took a careful look at her features, mesmerized, Aoi had to conclude that her sophisticated beauty was beyond the realm of the gods; she had an oval face framed by long black tresses, porcelain skin without a single blemish, a neat pointy nose and rosy lips. But the most defining feature was probably her bizarre light blue eyes, which outwardly pierced right through your soul, causing _anyone_ to shudder inwardly. Despite her icy gaze the young lady’s voice was gentle and smooth like silk, resonating as a melody in his ears. From the way she looked and spoke Aoi had to concur with himself that this young lady was definitely not a commoner.

 

“For the Royal Priest to offer your beautiful clothes and simply sit next to common folk like me, please let Your humble subject express endless gratitude to Your Excellency.”

 

Aoi flashed a warm smile at her. “There’s no need for such formality, um-,” he stuttered, completely forgetting to ask for her name; such bad manners were not befitting the highest member of the Inner Court.

 

“Kouyou,” she introduced herself. “Your servant’s name is Kouyou.”

 

 _Autumn leaves?_ “Kouyou-san, you don’t have to address both myself and yourself in such a formal manner,” Aoi reassured her, but the lady’s piercing gaze was unrelenting, embodying the obvious but respectful disapproval of things unfolding the way the priest had proposed.

 

“The holy man’s stature is omnipresent,” she replied tactfully. “Whether they are in Lower Yamato or the Kingdom of Silla5, their sanctity is not going to be compromised by a mere geographical alteration.”

 

His plain appreciation of Kouyou’s beauty now transformed into full-fledged admiration for this young lady’s reasoning. Women of the southern kingdom were surely opinionated. In addition to that, for her to recognize the high priest of a foreign empire was also beyond his expectations.

 

“Your humble subject has heard that the royal priest of Upper Yamato is a descendant of high tier gods, sent to Earth to help the empire fend off aggressors from invading this sacred land,” Kouyou’s cold doe eyes suddenly turned into lovely crescents with tiny crinkles around the corners as she smiled brightly, almost causing Aoi’s heart to leap out of its confines. “Despite his god-like status and supreme features like fair hair as pure as his heart, His Excellency has chosen modesty over glory, displayed by his empathy for his people.”

 

“People always come first, kingdom - second.” Aoi never backed off from this stance, being a staunch believer that the main duty of any official was to contribute to the greater good of the nation first and only then the prosperity of the country or even their own self. “Common folk are the base of any sovereignty, without them there is no kingdom, no emperor.”

 

Entertained laughter rang in his ears. Aoi raised his eyebrow inquisitively as he glanced at Kouyou’s laughing frame. By law, she could have been trialed and punished for finding the state’s holiest man’s (besides the emperor) words laughable, but Aoi was more curious to uncover the reason behind the laughter itself. “Kouyou-san, did I say something thoughtless?”

 

“Your Excellency, please forgive this insolent subject of Yours, but the rumours about the royal priest’s benevolence and compassion for common people can now be verified,” her gentle smile soon turned into a sly grin. “Your words are wise without doubt, but their nature may yield pressing consequences.”

 

Aoi was fully aware of that, but it had never thwarted him from reminding Kai of the latter’s main duty as the emperor – to look after his people. The last thing their kingdom needed was for their ruler to stray from the rightful path and venture down one of greed and debauchery, which served like an addiction among many foreign rulers. “I salute you for the courage to speak your mind, even if it was exhibited by you laughing at my belief.”

 

“Your humble servant is terribly sorry for her impudence. Please punish me accordingly.” Despite the ominous undertones, Kouyou’s face was not bereft of mirth. She nevertheless followed the traditional custom and kneeled in front of him again.

 

“Please rise, Kouyou-san,” Aoi let out a heavy sigh, beckoning for the girl to stand up and return to her spot. “This is not how our conversation was meant to be.”

 

“To disrespect a deity is punishable by death in our kingdom,” she kept her head low, her long dark hair flowed gently, like graceful midnight waves, contrasting the snow.

 

“But you are not in Lower Yamato right now, and we do not follow the same rules here,” Aoi replied softly. “And trust me, the gods are fair and do not wish to bring harm to people in any circumstance.”

 

“Even if they’ve committed atrocities beyond the acceptable boundaries of morality?”

This not-so-sudden question still caused Aoi to fall into a stupor. “Yes,” he confirmed it a moment later, finally recovering from the pause. “It’s never too late to redeem oneself, everyone deserves a second chance. _The human nature cannot be confined to a rigid cage_ ,” he breathed out, gently closing his eyes for a second.

 

“ _Yet the man-made beasts are emancipated by the flexibility of freedom_ ,” Kouyou retorted in a saccharine voice, her shrewd blue eyes contemplating into the distance, over the capital in the direction of the imperial palace. Stunned by such intellectual prowess, Aoi couldn’t help but nearly gawk at his companion _._ Not only did the whole sentence have a contradicting meaning to his, but every word of hers opposed his. Together, the two remarks worked as a perfect couplet that could have made any potential bureaucrat envious. _There was no way she could have been merely a peasant._

 

“Your humble subject happens to have little knowledge of poetry.” As if she had read his thoughts, the slender brunette offered her dazzling smile again. “Not to hide anything from my Lord, but acquiring new literary skills is also my aim for visiting Edo. The spring Imperial Examinations are just around the corner.”

 

“But isn’t it forbidden for women to sit for bureaucratic examinations?” Baffled again by the sudden revelation, Aoi tilted his head to the side.

 

“The officials in our kingdom are appointed based on their merits, not age or gender.” These words came out more solemnly than Aoi had expected, much to the priest’s sheer surprise. “Your humble subject does not mean to boast but our current Empress Dowager6 attained the status of the nation’s _prime graduate 7_ while still being the imperial concubine at that time.”

 

“That is truly astonishing.” And definitive in indicating advancement of a society where no discrimination existed concerning education.

 

No matter how many times Aoi had strolled in the streets of Edo, he had never noticed a sign of discontent among those seemingly underprivileged people who had no right for education and therefore, a chance to become a government official. However, allowing a larger variety of people to sit for exams meant more potential candidates worthy of the position; since the talent pool increased. Aoi had never been biased towards a specific type of people, as he deemed all people to be equal, but seeing that everyone seemed to be content with the way it was, he had never given too much thought to encouraging the rest of the people to pursue education. The priest, however, was utmost pleased to discover such valuable information that could possibly benefit both bureaucracy and common people. He definitely had to relay this to Kai, who was a reasonable individual and could probably revoke the gender and age ban regarding education. An issue that had been plaguing the system for centuries. The largest hindrance was the Inner Court, composed of a bunch of conservatives who took the late emperors’ teaching as the western barbarians8 Abrahamic god’s Ten Commandments. But the monarch’s words were absolute, and while the reform could potentially enrage the ministers and incite backlash from them, a coup d’état9 was considered to be the highest crime against the state, punishable by death. The ministers desired more than simply wasting their lives, unless they had support from the military, who fortunately were all loyal to the current emperor, since he had brought nothing but victory to this state. Perhaps, the late emperor of Lower Yamato had already experienced this before, and their endurance had brought forth success since the southern kingdom became a thriving nation. “Your late Emperor truly deserves the praises he receives.”

 

Kouyou laughed gently at those words. “The progress in the southern state still hasn’t reached its pinnacle, Aoi-sama,” she finally dropped the overdone formality, still retaining her respectful demeanour. “While advancements in gender, age and profession have taken place, this education reform was only recent with the late Emperor. Our actual scholars are still far behind in terms of literary skills, as only recently more people have started to pick the road of education, which leads to successful diplomacy.”

 

 _True, violence wasn’t always the answer to everything_. Their southern neighbour had been infamous for being an almost a militant state, with previous emperors praised as skilled battlefield commanders. While Upper Yamato had made a few conquests over the past seven years, they were actually minor compared to the southerners’ hundred years of war economy. The northern officials were predominantly peacekeepers. Thus, whilst the emergence of their new war-oriented emperor meant the takeover of new land, it also led to unnecessary bloodshed and most likely resentment from the indigenous inhabitants. To this date, Aoi still wished to go on a surveillance trip to Ezochi and ask for the Ainu’s forgiveness as a representative of the kingdom. But Kai had resolutely rejected this idea, saying that it was still too early to invite oneself into their lands and ask for peace. It was strange for a historically diplomatic state to behave this way, but politics were beyond Aoi’s actual jurisdiction, hence he dare not act against the emperor’s orders.

 

“Lower Yamato just annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom10 to the mainland,” Kouyou continued, as she caressed her long hair. Snow settled down on her jet-black tresses like pretty little decorations, nearly tempting Aoi to touch them. “And so far, the Ryukyuan people have not tried to usurp the new regime.”

 

“Kouyou-san, forgive me for my upcoming demeaning remark, but you surely have a vast knowledge for a simple travelling commoner,” Aoi commented, his awe for this lady kept growing as their conversation progressed. The very fact that a young lady had decided to travel all the way from a foreign country on her own was an astonishing achievement. If a man wasn’t at all charmed by the exquisiteness of this young lady, then there had to be something wrong with him.

 

“My Lord, I dare not reveal such arrogant thought but it is exactly because I am a traveller that I possess this humble knowledge,” her radiant smile was capable of tearing the heavens asunder. Aoi swore that all of the fairies up there could not possibly match with her beauty.

 

And her image refused to leave Aoi’s mind, even after he had returned to the palace. Images of majestic columns and extravagant embellishments interspersed with servants’ chatter filled up his senses, replacing the serenity of the snowy mountain. A few concubines strolled by, exchanging bows with him as he headed for his residence, which occupied land within the territory of the royal shrine.

 

“His Majesty summons you to his chambers, my Lord,” one of his maids informed him after he had finished washing himself and changed into new clothes, neatly folding the old ones into a laundry basket. There was no harm in keeping everything organized.

 

Kai’s residence was located in the innermost part of the court, which was a twenty-minute walk away from the shrine. Walking through the cold wet snow for a second time didn’t seem to be the brightest prospect and maybe he shouldn’t have taken that bath before visiting Kai’s chambers. But what was done had been done, so he put on his fur coat again, his feet taking him towards the imperial residence as the crispy sound of crushed snow resonated underneath his feet.

 

“Your Majesty called for me?” He bowed to Kai as he slipped off his shoes and entered the emperor’s bedchambers. It was a huge room, screaming of magnificence: high marble pillars held the ornate suspended ceiling, pristine white walls enclosed the space and the vast oak floor layered the ground. Next to the bed, Upper Yamato’s supreme ruler was reclining on a cushioned chair, his face gleaming with happiness when Aoi stepped into the room. Kai had ascended the throne at the tender age of eighteen but had four outstanding conquests up in his sleeve by the age of twenty-five. Two years younger than Aoi but already with so many accomplishments, the priest was nearly ashamed of himself.

 

“Aoi, you know that you can drop formalities with me in private,” Kai showed the other his trademark dimpled smile and gestured for the blond to take the seat opposite him, across their tea table. “How was your trip today?”

 

The priest divulged today’s meeting with the Lower Yamato national; the emperor listened to his confidant intently while sipping on his tea, but when the story took a turn about the woman’s appearance a temporary frown settled on the bridge of Kai’s nose. “Blue eyes you say? This is the first time I’ve heard about the Yamato race bearing blue-eyed children. Are you sure that she hails from the southern country?”

 

“Well, she definitely speaks the Yamato language fluently, as if she is a native,” Aoi replied, his hands cupping the tiny vessel holding his steaming beverage.

 

“Some foreign states train their servants into spies while integrating them into the enemy’s society from childhood. While this young lady seems harmless from the way you described her to me, wouldn’t the fact that she knew so much evoke suspicion from you? You should be more careful next time, Aoi-chan.” Kai slid behind the priest’s chair, placing his hands on the blond’s shoulders; the palms soon settled on Aoi’s cheeks, caressing them gently. “How are we going to survive without our nation’s _talisman_?”

 

“I’m sorry for making you worry, Kai-sama,” Aoi leaned closer to his childhood playmate’s touch and relished in the warm sensation. “Anyway, I’d like to ask for your permission to start preparations on the Spring Festival. It will be great if we can gather all essential materials before the Imperial Examination starts.”

 

“Does our seventh-year-ago _primus graduate_ wish to re-sit for his qualification?” Kai cooed teasingly, earning a chuckle from Aoi. “But yes, of course you can. Just pass the list to Minister Shou and he will take care of the matter.”

 

Aoi couldn’t help but render his pearly whites at the statement. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

 

The emperor bent down slightly to kiss the top of Aoi’s head tenderly.

 

“Anything for you, my God,” he muttered. “Anything.”

 

***

_3 days later, at Heian-kyo 11, the capital of Lower Yamato_

“His Majesty has returned!” The main guard hollered to the rest, his voice roaring like thunder in the stormy sky as they opened the palace gates for the forthcoming young man in his mid twenties. He wore a dark attire with a veil covering his face and long black hair flowed in the wind. Once reaching the steps of the main palace, he jumped off his horse, allowing the maids to hastily put the imperial robe over his shoulders. He then walked past the rest of the panicking servants who had not expected for him to return so early from his journey. “Put the flashy welcoming away,” he told the head servant who bowed to him again and told the others not to create a commotion ~~r~~ egarding the emperor’s return.

 

“Imperial brother!” A cheery voice rang through the empty garden, caused by winter, when a younger man ran straight to his arms, completely forgetting about the servants around him. A few maids tried to giggle discreetly but this didn’t go unnoticed by the duke’s sharp eyes. “Silence, you brats.” Despite the harsh words, he grinned at them nevertheless, receiving a patronizing glare from his older brother.

 

“Ruki, language,” the emperor chastised him but his arms never stopped embracing the smaller body.

 

“But Uruha-nii-sama,” the younger one pouted. “These reckless maids have the audacity to mock me,” he pointed at the earlier giggling maids, whose faces embraced a terrified expression as they kowtowed apologetically in front him.

 

“Your Highness, please forgive us for our insolence.”

 

“Rise,” smirking, Ruki then raised his hand, shooing the meddlesome maids away. His fingers clasped around Uruha’s wrist and pulled the older towards his imperial residence. Once inside his chambers, Ruki ordered the maids to set their afternoon tea for them. Here, the emperor finally removed his veil, revealing his trademark icy blue eyes and impassive face.

 

“How was your trip to Edo?” the younger one asked.

 

“Upper Yamato’s capital is as prosperous as usual,” Uruha replied calmly, flicking his wrist to signal the maids standing in the corner to attend to him, ordering them to prepare the bath for him later. “Which is utterly disgusting considering the poverty the kingdom has brought about to Izu Islands tribes, whose land it annexed recently.”

 

“Suddenly imitating your war economy, their inexperienced emperor deserves the title of a poor copycat,” Ruki snickered, pouring tea into a cup before handing it to his older brother. “He’s not doing a decent job though, from what you have been telling me.”

 

“Kai’s still young,” Uruha explained and demonstratively ignored his brother’s statement, which casually pointed out that he and the northern emperor were of the same age. “This is the usually passive kingdom’s first reign adopting aggressive means of consolidating its power. There’s boundless time for Kai to learn the art of colonization, but will the people of these seized lands endure for that long? That is the question.”

 

Ruki listened carefully to his brother’s every word then sighed exasperatedly. The other emperor had always been a sore in his eyes, to the point that he had refused to greet Kai when the latter had come down to Heian-kyo to pay respect to the empress dowager on her 49th birthday last year. Fortunately for the kingdom, Kai hadn’t presented himself as a petty person, so he had overlooked this discourtesy. But unfortunately for Ruki, his elder brother had given him Hell after that. To the extent the younger had not dared to pull off this sort of offence again. “How wonderful it would have been if my Imperial Brother had overtaken Ezochi instead. The Ainu would probably attain happiness quicker while living under our rule.”

 

Bearing in mind that Ruki was probably not cut out for politics, Uruha still couldn’t help but feel disappointed. “Such insolence.” The younger one cowered slightly under the emperor’s glower. “We invaded foreign lands at utmost necessity, when the fate of our people was at stake or those nations have been oppressed by tyrants. Our ancestors had chosen extreme methods for resettlement but never once fallen victim to a superiority complex. Throughout the years our colonies have pledged their loyalty to the emperor of Lower Yamato; even the Ryukyu Kingdom decided to close its eyes on the presence of our troops and people in its territory since we eradicated their former autocratic regime.”

 

Despite Uruha’s sound reasoning, the younger could only purse his lips in retort. An occupied area was a subject of the dominant sovereign. Why did his brother, the emperor of such powerful state, have to go through such trouble for colonized clans? By nature, the stronger persisted while the weaker abided by the former’s laws.

 

“What I don’t understand is why you keep appointing their locals for leadership roles in each colony.”

 

Uruha gave him a quizzical stare, the urge to smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “Why? Would you like to go down there instead?” A teasing tone laced his voice.

 

“No!” Paling a few shades, Ruki gasped out in horror, clutching at the sleeve of his brother’s robe. “I’m never going to leave my nii-sama’s side,” he cried, earning an amused chuckle from Uruha who pulled the other back into his embrace.

 

“You don’t have to concern yourself over this matter. I’ve already planted spies down there and if anything happens they are going to report to the palace immediately,” he reassured Ruki, threading his fingers through his brother’s unruly locks. “I’ve received noteworthy intel in Upper Yamato. That was also the reason for my trip to our northern neighbour, besides learning their art of diplomacy.”

 

Eyes wide, Ruki’s grip on his brother’s sleeve tightened. “Are you planning to wage a war against them?” Born during the times of relative peace, the duke knew nothing about the atrocities of war, despite being an imperial member of the historically belligerent nation. While their late emperors thoroughly enjoyed warfare, notwithstanding having good intentions, his brother’s battles always unfolded outside the mainland. “Brother, I really don’t know if we should do this-”

 

“It’s not like I can dictate Kai’s ambitions,” curtly cutting his brother, Uruha shrugged dismissively. “Only he can decide whether he wishes to invade our home or not.”

 

“That bastard plans to overtake us as well?!” Shocked by the sudden news, Ruki yelled unintentionally, causing the elder to scowl again. “But our nation has existed in harmony with his state for centuries! What kind of peace-loving country is this?”

 

“The one currently ruled by a pseudo-warmongering brat,” the emperor spat out in derision, completely disregarding the sophisticated imperial speech. Soon his lips stretched into an ominous smirk again, blue eyes narrowing dangerously, causing Ruki to shrink under that menacing gaze. “In hindsight, a forceful unification might not be an entirely bad idea.” Without doubt, Uruha possessed this innate ability to make _anyone_ feel squeamish under his intense gaze, no less deserving of a supreme leader.

 

“But Imperial brother,” Ruki gulped, staring pleadingly at his brother. “Upper Yamato,” he paused slightly. “-they allegedly have this legendary priest in possession, whose powers have helped Kai to conquer all those colonies.”

 

“And I happened to meet him in Edo at his sanctuary,” the elder said, indulging in his brother’s now sheer awe. “Conversing with him was anything but difficult.” Though maintaining the high-pitched voice throughout his whole conversation with Aoi had been an arduous task indeed.

 

“Long virtually white hair?” Ruki clarified, still not swallowing the shocking information. “Kind obsidian eyes? Skin as pale as snow?” Disbelief was painted all over his face upon receiving positive nods to his questions. “Is he really divinity’s creation as rumoured?”

 

 _Far beyond that_ , Uruha thought. Not in a literal meaning, of course. While he wasn’t entirely convinced about the royal priest being a god sent down from the heavens, he had to admit that Aoi radiated an aura, which transcended normality. A delicate young man he portrayed himself as, Aoi genuinely didn’t resemble someone who would merrily aid a belligerent in destroying other nations. So where did all these speculated powers come from? Were they conclusive enough to elevate this young man to god’s rank? Rumours, nonetheless, usually had an ounce of truth lurking behind the thick veil of deception. Especially when Uruha failed to dig out any other credible information regarding the origins of the mysterious royal priest. “Well, I can assure you that he couldn’t fly or spurt fire out of his mouth.” This was not exactly a joking matter, but Ruki quickly picked up his brother’s playful mood.

 

“They say he is a god, not a _dragon_ , nii-sama,” the younger one snorted in retort.

 

His equally jolly disposition, however, soon faded to lackluster when the sinister smile returned to his brother’s usually heavenly face, marring those ethereal features.

 

“And I shall soon test the legitimacy of those powers.”

 

Those were the emperor’s last words before his departure from Ruki’s bedchambers, leaving the younger unsettled.

 

At this point, bloodshed between the two nations was inevitable.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Michinoku region = ancient Touhoku region without Akita & Yamagata prefectures  
> 2) bisento = a type of Japanese pole weapon with a long hilt and broad blade (akin to the Chinese Guan Dao)

It had been one month since Aoi’s encounter with Kouyou in the mountain. Obviously, he hadn’t seen her anymore after that meeting and had come to terms with the fact that she was a mere traveller, bound to leave Edo sooner or later. While she didn’t particularly cross his mind very often, since it had been occupied with festive preparations, the impression of the astonishingly beautiful and educated woman had been deeply embedded into his mind. Aoi still wished to meet her again to exchange knowledge that could benefit Upper Yamato; it was the rare people like this who would captivate Aoi’s attention. Although his own kingdom boasted with a large amount of scholars, however, besides their eloquence, most scholars’ knowledge was pretty outdated and Aoi yearned for a fresh perspective. Regarding the gender issue, he had already consulted with the emperor, only to receive a dismissive look and half-reassuring _‘leave it to me’_. Stubborn by nature, Aoi kept pushing the matter, since usually Kai heeded his words, yet in that instance the emperor had sort of disregarded them. Aoi knew that the emperor was extremely busy with foreign relations, but domestic policies needed to be reformed as well in order to keep up with other nations.

 

Successful conquests were indeed a sign of power, but who was an emperor without his own people, who made up the support base?

 

Aoi had to solemnly admit that since Kai’s first victory against the clans residing in the Michinoku1 region, the younger had been complacent with the domestic situation in Kantou. While Aoi held no real experience in politics, since he had been raised as a spiritual leader, for the past month he had been alarmed by the sudden conscription when neither the Spring Festival nor imperial examination had started yet. For Kai to suddenly demand military arrangements implied another invasion, which wasn’t _that_ essential right now, in Aoi’s opinion. Thus, he decided to seek for the emperor’s audience right after the morning court. Kai was still contemplating the map when the blond came in, his entrance causing many ministers to quickly acquire a pink hue on their cheeks. It was no secret that the royal priest had plenty of admirers not only for the fortune he had brought upon the nation, but for both for his lovely appearance and gentle demeanour.

 

“Good morning, Aoi-sama,” the ministers greeted the priest in unison, causing the emperor to detach himself from the map for a second, the corners of his mouth curving upwards slightly in amusement. The way his childhood playmate flustered other officials never stopped entertaining him. Though sometimes Aoi’s attractiveness posed as a threat to the working environment, as silly as it sounded. Kai didn’t blame his ministers for that – as former scholars, they had probably dedicated all their lives to education and passing imperial examinations to finally attain their current position. It would be plausible to assume that aesthetics and attraction were probably the last things on their minds, but now suddenly being exposed to such elegant beauty, who wasn’t spoilt like most imperial concubines, had set their mind into disarray; even if Aoi was of the same gender as them. “Why don’t you join us at the morning court tomorrow, Aoi-sama?”

 

“Minister Tora,” Aoi smiled at the Minister of Foreign Relations. “Thank you for your kind invitation, but please forgive me for turning it down because I don’t have a penchant for politics.”

 

“And it’s a shame that you don’t,” a disappointed sigh came from the emperor. With a flick of his wrist, Kai motioned for the officials to leave the courtroom. With only two people left in the room now, Aoi finally reduced the distance between them, taking the seat next to Kai. “Kai-sama, why was General Reita present at this meeting?” Aoi decided not to stand on ceremony and addressed his concerns straight away. “Are you dispatching the troops somewhere?” Silence gave consent and, in this case, indicated a positive answer since the emperor didn’t deny his intentions either. “Your Majesty, I do not wish to annoy you but please reconsider my suggestion,” he looked at Kai pleadingly. “It’s time to revise our domestic policies. While we can’t possibly gain more candidates for this upcoming examination, more people will be able to prepare for the autumn one if we grant them time and opportunity.”

 

“My dear Aoi,” Kai finally spared a glance at him for the first ever since he had channeled back his attention to the map. “ _I_ will be the one who decides when is the time to review the policies.” As arrogant as it sounded, there was no lie in that – Aoi, of course, had no right to repudiate the emperor’s words. “And as I’ve already previously mentioned, there is no need for you to worry about these matters. Just get your head around the Spring Festival. Has Minister Shou gathered everything you require for the ceremony?”

 

“He has, Your Majesty.” Aoi, however, couldn’t prevent his body from trembling slightly due to discontent, as the smug words rolled off the tip of Kai’s tongue. The man he knew since childhood had never been this obstinate and would usually take his suggestions into consideration; especially when it benefited their people. “However, even for a combative nation like Lower Yamato, who has never been famed for education, to finally lift the ban regarding women’s partaking in bureaucracy, don’t you think it is a cue for us to follow suit?”

 

Anticipating being yelled at for such discourteous implications, Aoi maintained his eyes downcast. While Kai had never raised his voice at him, as the blond had been his favourite companion, Aoi didn’t want to take his chances and stare defiantly at the emperor, since he had already pushed this far. Awaiting trial for this bold remark would have been the best prospect for now, even if the title of the royal priest had been bestowed on him. Although Aoi continuously aided his childhood friend in making right decisions, they had always just been gentle remarks, which usually worked since Kai had always seemed to be flexible. In reality, no one risked criticizing the emperor, even if it was just an inference. And for a thoroughly educated person like Kai, nearly nothing had ever stopped him from picking up subtle lines.

 

However, instead of the harsh words he had expected to hear from Kai, the latter just exhaled heavily in exasperation. Which also didn’t particularly indicate anything pleasant, to be honest. “For a high official like you to be so easily swayed by the mere words of some foreign plebeian, what will the kingdom think of you? The Royal Priest – the _god_ overseeing the prosperity of our nation – bewitched by a person of unknown origins, even if she claimed to come from the southern lands? Now, Aoi-chan, please don’t give me that face,” Kai’s tone became softer, as he lovingly caressed the elder’s face, which had adopted a hurt expression at those unflattering words. “I’m simply saying that you shouldn’t be so hyped up with this supposedly new knowledge coming out of someone else’s mouth. Who knows if they just try put down our regime by boasting nonsensical things to you?”

 

“But,” Aoi refused to back off from his position on this issue. “I believe she had no reason to lie to me or criticize your rule, Kai-sama.”

 

“Aoi.” Defeated, Kai shook his head and pulled the other into his embrace. “This faith you have in people, it will bring you harm someday and I’m not trying to scare you.”

 

“I’m doing this for the sake of our nation,” Aoi murmured against the emperor’s broad chest. “People come first-”

 

“And monarch - the last, I know that,” Kai finished off the thought, rubbing soothing circles on the other’s back. “Then in this case, would you like to accompany me again for the upcoming expedition? Harsh weather has always been a bane to crops; our farmers in the northern part of the mainland have been suffering poor harvest this year, even during summer. Maybe relocating the agricultural base to the South wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

 

“But doesn’t our southern region serve as a military base right now?” Aoi asked, confusion vivid on his face.

 

“That’s why I’m planning to send the army _further_ down South, beyond the Alps.”

 

As soon as those words left the emperor’s lips horror struck Aoi, his face acquiring a pale greenish hue as if he’d seen a demon.

 

“B-but that would be intervening into the territory of Lower Yamato!” He cried unexpectedly, hands clutching the emperor’s robe. “The southern kingdom’s emperor won’t let you freely occupy their land, and this,” Aoi’s voice nearly broke. “This is going to destroy the peace between our two nations, which we’ve managed to maintain for centuries. Kai-sama, please reconsider-”

 

“Silence.”

 

One word, wrapped in frost. Just one simple word that managed to forcefully shut Aoi up, in every sense of its meaning, causing him to flinch in Kai’s grasp as he stared in disbelief at the other. Never once had Kai used this tone or word to actually silence him. There had always been mutual respect between them: Kai took Aoi’s words into consideration and the latter never showed character to the other. But as a spiritual leader like the royal priest, Aoi couldn’t just spinelessly accept an unnecessary war breaking out between two neighbours, both of them being big powers.

 

“Your Majesty, please hear Your humble subject’s opinion out,” he started off calmly, adopting the formal speech and trying not to let the hurt overtake rationality. However, the urge to explain the terrible repercussions to the emperor still nagged him. “As you can see, this is no longer a simple seizure of tribal lands. You are facing an equally great power, whose emperors have been renowned warlords since they were just crown princes.”

 

However, this statement failed to make Kai feel apprehensive. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, the dark brown irises turning into slits. “So you are doubting my battlefield skills.”

 

“I’m worried about the number of pointless casualties among soldiers and civilians,” Aoi said dejectedly. “You are entering a dangerous zone, Kai-sama. Even,” he stuttered. “Even with my supposed powers, I don’t think we can get away with this unscathed.”

 

At these words, Kai merely closed his eyes.

 

“The order for invasion has already been decreed, and I can’t revoke it,” he uttered those words in an unperturbed manner. “The first squad has been camping there for three weeks now, the situation is in our favour as the defence on their northernmost border seems to be pretty lax from what I’ve gathered from our spies. We’re leaving next week.”

 

“ _We_?”

 

Kai looked at him inquisitively. “Aren’t you going to join us as usual?”

 

“But I haven’t given you my answer, Your Majesty.” This statement again could have sent him straight to the gallows, but Kai’s haughty demeanour had started to grate on Aoi’s nerves.

 

“Then would you want to watch your comrades die?”

 

Kai didn’t have to waste his breath on another word because the following week, the royal shrine prepared a grandiose ceremony for the emperor and soldiers going away for battle and, at this scale, even war. According to Upper Yamato’s recent customs, the royal priest would bless every single person involved before advancing to the arena, which would most likely become his deathbed. Yet no one except for Aoi himself seemed to be in a gloomy disposition. On the contrary, everyone seemed to be excited for the upcoming battle, with a big enemy for the first time. Though traces of nervousness permeated the jolly air, all soldiers received the arrival of the royal priest with big grins on their feverish faces. Because with their god, they were definitely going to win. Wasn’t this an axiom, which never failed to work?

 

Aoi walked past the bowing generals, his hand holding a gold cup, with an array of servants carrying barrels of water behind him. He then stopped in front of Kai and kowtowed to him three times before standing up again.

 

“May your unparalleled prowess and wisdom bring victory to our nation. Please as well allow Aoi, this humblest subject of Yours, to join you on this journey.”

 

“And you may,” Kai replied, his face embracing a brief apologetic look when he saw sadness enveloping Aoi’s own. Still unwavering, he took the cup, filled with blessed water, from the priest’s hands and emptied it in a single gulp. After that, Aoi commenced the blessing of the generals and other high military officials, before moving to ordinary soldiers.

 

“May the God of War be on your side as well,” Aoi breathed out nearly helplessly, as a young teenager, no older than sixteen, drank the blessed water from his cup.

  
“I will fight to death for our emperor and Aoi-sama,” the boy said enthusiastically, his naiveté causing Aoi’s chest to constrict in pain. _I don’t need it_ , he thought bitterly but kept silent nevertheless because it had already been too late. “Don’t worry, Your Excellency, Hachiman-kami might be the god of war but we have our _own_ god among us, and this surely guarantees victory.”

 

Such joyous words, yet such weight on Aoi’s heart. He could neither reject nor accept the fact that everyone raised him to the pedestal of gods. Surely, there had to be some misunderstanding here. But it was no coincidence that every time he was present at the battlefield their troops would end up being victorious, as if it was a law written by nature. Honestly, Aoi was genuinely confused with his own self. Yet looking at those hopeful expressions, he was petrified of not meeting their expectations.

 

So, after hours and hours of blessing, the main army finally set on their journey to the southern border, which wasn’t too far off from the capital itself. Travelling time took less than five days to reach their destination, without any adventures.

 

Aoi looked out the window of his carriage, openly gawking at the majestic beauty of the mountains. Kai, who was sitting next to him, signaled to the servant to the stop the carriage and ordered everyone to make a campsite there before crossing the kingdom’s boundary later at night.

 

Evening was painting the normally blue sky with deep red, as if warning the warriors of their predicament, but Aoi forced himself to shrug this negative thought off. In the end, he still had faith in his people and hopefully, they would be able to return home soon. “Everything will be okay,” Kai reassured his companion, before stepping off the carriage, his foot landing on the soil, which was almost devoid of snow by now. He then beckoned General Reita, whose horse galloped to the emperor’s side with its horseman gracefully settled on it. “You are to protect Aoi-sama with your own life,” the emperor entrusted this task to this young, sturdy general who had many conquests behind his belt despite his age. “We are going to move tonight and take over the nearest province by tomorrow morning.”

 

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Reita bowed to the emperor, then jumped off his horse to help Aoi step off the carriage.

 

“Reita-san, I’m no maiden for you to constantly treat me so delicately,” the royal priest laughed, his mood finally lightening up after seeing another childhood friend of his. Reita’s ancestors had been chief commanders serving the existing dynasty for decades and all of them had been extremely loyal to their emperor. Therefore, his family was residing in a manor inside the Outer Court, so Aoi had been able to forge a tight friendship with the future general when they were still children. “Remember how I used to tackle you down to the ground all the time,” he snickered. “I can’t believe that you’ve reached to the position of the commanding general now. This inherited combat leather mask and dark battle eye make up surely suits you.”

 

At the same time, Reita tried to suppress a chuckle. In the past he had always given in to the blond, so as not to hurt the elder’s feelings, as Aoi had been often teased (jokingly) for being delicate like a doll. “That’s true, Aoi-sama, there’s no doubt that you’ve always had outstanding physical strength,” he lied nonetheless.

 

“Too bad I’m not into violence and fighting,” Aoi sighed miserably. “It must be horrible to take a fellow human being’s life.” Fortunately, Kai wasn’t around to berate him for not setting the right atmosphere.

 

“It is indeed,” was Reita’s curt reply. Despite hailing from the line of warriors and having excellent frontline experience, the young general didn’t particularly enjoy bloodshed. In addition to that he always strived to reduce casualties, as there was nothing more distressing than seeing your fallen comrade. However, they were in no situation to think of their lives and all they could do was try to maximize the chances of their victory.

 

The evening sky persistently retained its crimson hue, the colour reflecting on Aoi’s fair tresses. Black figures of migratory birds appeared in the sky, their deafening chirping reverberating in his ears. The snow beneath his feet had almost melted, leaving wet soil and, occasionally, mud around him. Aoi, however, could not help but feel worried when he heard the sudden cawing of crows. _It’s an omen_ ; this thought passed the priest’s mind. They had to get out of this place as soon as possible. “Reita-san, wouldn’t it be safer if we crossed the mountains now while it’s not too late? While I understand that ambushing the village at night is the best surprise attack,” _and the most despicable one_ , he added to himself but thought it was inevitable if he wanted to reduce the loss on their side. “I think it would be far too dangerous for us to navigate ourselves in an unfamiliar mountainous zone in the dark.”

 

Reita nodded in agreement after a careful deliberation. “Let me relay this to His Majesty,” he said and headed towards the commanders’ tent, where the emperor was rehearsing the tactics for tonight’s invasion. Aoi prayed that Kai would be more flexible today and concede to his idea. At the same time, he pitied Reita for having to guard him while the general should be in the tent with the rest of commanders.

 

“His Majesty agreed.” After half an hour the young general returned to Aoi’s tent. “We will be moving shortly, the first battalion has already started moving,” he said, much to Aoi’s relief. Then ordered the servants to put the fire out and start packing up.

 

And they went back on the road again. “Shouldn’t there be southern guards in the mountain posts?” Aoi asked, facing Reita who was riding his horse beside the carriage. “I can just pray that the villagers would be smart enough to flee theirs homes when they hear the first noise of our horses’ hooves.”

 

“You should also pray for _our_ safety as we move through the mountains,” Reita said solemnly. As much as he admired Aoi’s compassion for the enemy, he’d like the royal priest to cherish their soldiers’ lives as well (which he knew Aoi did, just wanted the latter’s clarification). “To be honest, Your Excellency, somehow the fact that the posts are deserted leaves an unsettling feeling within me. Smells like a _trap_ to me, but His Majesty is resolute about his decision.”

                                                                                                                     

“I suppose that’s true,” Aoi concurred. “No matter how good our relations are, one should always be ready for….situations like this,” he ended bitterly. _I hope there is no catch in this and if anything happens, Kai can decree an order for a swift retreat_.

 

“However, from what the messenger has informed me, the first battalion is smoothly moving between the two mountains right no-” but before he could finish his sentence, a cacophony of horses neighing, men screaming and arrows swishing from above erupted far at the front, the anguished noise chilling Aoi to the bones. “Aoi-sama, please duck inside!” Reita yelled at him in panic, as he hastily drew his sword out of its sheath.

 

“What’s on earth is happening outside?” Aoi asked worriedly, but judging Reita’s face, it didn’t forebode anything pleasant.

 

“I think we are being ambushed.”

 

And that was how Aoi’s greatest fear had materialized. Half of their troops hadn’t even stepped into the enemy’s premises, yet they’d already been cornered in a surprise attack. _Way to get a taste of your own medicine_. “Our spies failed to tell us that the enemy has been lurking in the mountains all this while. We should retreat before it’s too late,” Aoi suggested pleadingly. “Before we lose any more of our comrades.”

 

“No one retreats!” To his dismay, Kai’s roaring voice suddenly echoed in the air. “We are going to get through these mountains even if it costs us our lives!”

 

The agonized voices, however, died down soon after their surprise. Despite the silence, everyone was walking on pins and needles because the cries of torment appeared as startling as they disappeared. No one could foresee what the nearest future held for them.

 

“Your Majesty!” Aoi shrieked, straining his neck out of the carriage window despite Reita’s angry protests. He was unable to see what was happening in the distance, where the first battalion was presumable located, as a big shroud of dust and smoke had obscured it notwithstanding the current wetness of the ground. “The existing number of our troops is far too small for this, and we don’t know how many men await us on the other side!”

 

“But now we do…” The alarmed expression on Reita’s face was evident even through his half-mask. As the dusty curtain slowly dissipated, revealing a horrifying scene in front of him, Aoi’s eyes widened to the size of the saucers, fear clutching his heart.

 

“Reita quickly, beg the Emperor to retreat! Now!”

 

There were thousands, no, more than thousands of men at the base of the mountains. Fire signals soon appeared up in the mountains, indicating the presence of the enemy there too. As Aoi took a better look, he saw a figure clad in black imperial armour on a horse coming to the front of the infantry. The horseman’s face was covered with a red mask vaguely reminding him of the devil’s face. The sky spread like a red curtain behind the southern warriors, as the sun set like a giant fireball going down on its enemy.

 

_“LONG LIVE THE EMPEROR! LONG LIVE THE GREAT SOUTHERN KINGDOM!”_

 

The men’s voices rolled like thunder in the sky, causing Aoi to shrink slightly from the powerful chant. “Reita, we aren’t going to cross the border in these circumstances, please _beseech_ Kai-sama to withdraw! Half of us are still within the neutral territory, they will not chase us on our own land if they are merciful enough,” he stared imploringly at the general, who was biting his lip in hesitation. For a battle commander like Reita, running away was the most humiliating option he could choose, yet advancing in this situation meant _doom_ for the whole army. There was no way they were going to win this battle with this unequal distribution of powers, taking into consideration that the first battalion had already been destroyed.

 

“I’ll try to reason with His Majesty.” Reita dashed towards Kai, but with no fruitful results since Kai’s voice commanding to attack and defend at the same time resonated in the air once again.

 

By the time the surviving regiment could have possibly reached the outskirts of the northern kingdom’s province, it had been too late. Upper Yamato’s troops started to make a move, further agitating their southern neighbours, who according to Aoi’s assumptions had actually been benevolent enough to give them time to retreat. Slaying the first battalion was just a gentle warning, yet Kai was relentless about conquering the land beyond these Alps. The screams of men and the clanging of swords soon filled up the air, and while this wasn’t anything new to Aoi, the cries of fallen comrades pierced his ears incessantly. He couldn't prevent the tears from brimming his eyes. “We’re going to be slain one by one”, he murmured in despair. “No one is going to get out of here alive, unless we do something about this.”

 

“Aoi-sama, please stay inside!” Reita shouted angrily at him while he was still fending off the swords of their attackers. The southern army had reached their carriage, which was located in between the third and fourth battalions. The vehicle had stopped in motion, as the horses had been injured by multiple arrows and the driver fallen by the enemy’s sword. Once surrounded with merry living beings, Aoi was now confined within a chaotic assortment of fresh corpses and bloodied men fighting for their lives. No, not even for their lives, but for their kingdom and emperor. Blood sprayed like a ceaseless fountain of red, complementing the macabre background as dusk was gradually taking over the sky. The disappearance of the sun certainly marked the end of time for the failed invaders. Through the gradually dimming lighting, Aoi helplessly observed how the enemy’s blood was progressively dripping off Reita’s armour, how his half-covered face contorted in agony as he watched his subordinates die needlessly around him.

 

To Aoi’s relief, he could still hear Kai’s intermittent commands, though the possibility of losing his dear emperor was too high right now. The same went for Reita and the rest of his guards, who were surrounded by an endless number of foreign soldiers, seemingly trying to reach the carriage itself. Aoi could only pray that with Reita’s endurance and talent in combat, they would be able to last slightly longer until Kai realised that it was a losing battle and they should withdraw immediately. He prayed that their troops had enough faith to persevere this fight. But where were his god’s powers when his people urgently needed them? Or maybe their constant victories had just been coincidence after all? Then why place so much faith in him, who was just a burden to them all? Especially to Reita who could have been at the frontlines right now, as Kai had forbidden to retreat. Their emperor himself had been surrounded by many formidable fighters, unable to come to Aoi’s side. _Reita-san needs to aid the second battalion_ , and right after this thought, Aoi ducked his head out of the carriage again only to have an arrow flying right next to his cheek, the tip grazing the skin and leaving a trail of blood there.

 

“Aoi-sama, I told you to stay-” but before Reita could fully channel his attention towards the priest to reprimand him properly, a huge bisento2 came crashing on his sword. If it hadn’t been for his incredible physical strength, the enemy’s blade would have already cut him in half. Nevertheless, the force applied to his weapon had nearly thrown him off his horse, causing him to clutch to the reins tighter. The horseman with the devil mask, who had caused the young general to waver, was none other than the southern emperor. The emperor’s long black ponytail swayed in the wind as he launched a series of hacking movements at Reita, who was actually having trouble resisting the high pressure. At the same time, the young general was still trying to shield Aoi from the enemy; but to Aoi’s sheer horror, the general finally yielded to the force as the bisento’s blade broke the barrier of Reita’s sword and crushed down on his armour, causing him to fall off his frightened horse. Having fought against a handful of normal soldiers before this, Reita’s armour and, subsequently, body were suffering even heavier damages and injuries respectively. Blood seeped through his underclothes, slowly replacing the caked blood of his fallen opponents. And it looked like he – all limp from the gushing wound on his chest - was going to become fully bathed in his own blood soon when the adversary raised his bisento high up again for the final blow, the sharp broad blade gleaming ominously in the darkened sky.

 

“AOI-SAMA!”

 

The blade cut through Aoi’s red ceremonial robes, resulting in a horrendous gash on his back and an agonized cry as the royal priest shielded Reita from the weapon with his own unarmoured body. Shivering from the searing pain, he feebly raised his head just to witness Reita’s aghast. From afar, Kai was yelling curses and mercilessly swinging with his sword in order to cut through the crowd, so that he could come to Aoi’s aid. But no avail since he and his guards were outnumbered, thus easily cornered.

 

“Well-well, who do we have here,” the Lower Yamato’s emperor had a strikingly low and slightly hollow voice, due to the mask. In order for him to be able to have a ‘conversation’ without interruption, the most elite southern cavalry encircled him, the injured royal priest and heavily wounded northern general. Some tried to shoot the emperor with a crossbow, but the guards quickly immobilized the arrow. Some tried to fight their way through to save Aoi and Reita but ended up defeated instead. There was nothing left for the southern emperor to do but snicker at such pathetic attempts. “Isn’t this the famous Royal Priest who, apparently, brings victory with his mere presence? _Whose_  victory exactly though?”

 

“S-shut-up,” Reita hissed but soon erupted with coughs, spouting droplets of blood.

 

“R-Reita-san, please… don’t talk,” Aoi begged him, his hands shakily clasping onto the hem of the other’s undershirt. The priest’s vision was starting to get hazy, as the pain slowly overtook his senses. “Y-Your Majesty,” gathering the last bits of strength, Aoi slowly turned around to face the foreign emperor. “P-please spare… these men…from a dreadful fate…you can…t-take my life instead…if it will pacify…your anger.”

 

“Anger?” If it hadn’t been the mask, Aoi would have seen amusement painting the emperor’s face. “Did I sound angry before? Besides, who do you think you are to assume that your lowly life will suffice for me to let the rest get away with this attempted invasion?”

 

“Y-you,” Reita couldn’t to stomach this patronizing tone but was soon quieted down by Aoi feeble but, nonetheless, effective glare.

 

The priest then wheezed out, “For them I…am a god…The kingdom’s…talisman.”

 

What he had not expected was for the emperor to laugh at his words. The masked leader crouched down to Aoi’s level and snatched the shuddering blond’s chin. “To me, you resemble a _murderer_ more than a talisman. Guess how many of your people died like dogs today?” But before Aoi could respond to those scalding words, the southern emperor grabbed him by his wrist and yanked him forward, resulting in him floppily falling into the other one’s chest, in the company of Reita’s hoarse protests.

 

“Every Upper Yamato person, drop your weapons now!” The masked supreme leader hollered, with the edge of his bisento pressed against Aoi’s neck. “If you don’t, I’m going to cut through the delicate neck of this god of yours and then we'll see for ourselves if he is actually immortal,” he laughed almost maniacally, as Aoi struggled to push the hilt away from his body. “I said ‘put your weapons down’, and this includes you too, _Your Majesty_.” The southern emperor’s mocking tone further infuriated Kai, who never let go of his sword, which was still tight in his grip, ready to chop the offender into pieces if a chance befell him.

 

“K-Kai-sama, p-please don’t…” Aoi weakly uttered the plea despite knowing that the other wouldn’t be able to hear it. Blood had already drenched his whole back, as he was becoming fully immersed in unbearable pain, causing him to slowly lose his consciousness.

 

At the same time, the man who was threatening his kingdom’s emperor and troops with his death made an announcement.

 

“Your Royal Priest had implored me to let you go in exchange for hi-”

 

Aoi was unable to hear the end of the statement, as darkness had fully consumed him.

 

***

 

The minute Aoi opened his eyes blinding light nearly caused him to shut them tightly again. “Ugh,” he groaned, the pain in his back almost killing him. It wasn’t the same kind of pain anymore, more of a stinging type but it hurt his muscles nonetheless.

 

_Where am I?_

 

Undeniably feeling softness beneath him, Aoi then realized that he was actually lying on a bed. Was he in some room? As he tried to focus his vision, Aoi began to register different objects around him; specifically, skyrocketing wooden columns, large shawls with complex embroideries hanging on the walls and expensive-looking ceramics with intricate art. One thing that definitely bound them was the fact that Aoi couldn’t recognize their exact origin although he was able to identify their nature. They, nevertheless, exuded some faint familiarity, but how, he wasn’t entirely sure. However, the most surprising aspect would be him seeing here the very same young woman, whom he had a chance to meet a bit more than a month ago in the mountain.

 

“K-Kouyou-san?” Completely disregarding her expressionless face, Aoi was still endlessly shocked to meet her again. However, she seemed to look slightly different from his memories, mainly her hair, which was so much shorter now, except for two slightly longer fringes on both sides of her still heavenly face. Her jawline also seemed somewhat sharper now, her lips had lost their rosy tint but those light blue eyes – those unmistakable eyes confirmed her identity.

 

Without doubt, it was the Kouyou he had met before at the hot spring.

 

But why was she here?

 

 _And wasn’t I at the battlefield before that?_ Aoi started to panic _. What…What on earth happened to everyone else?_

“Kouyou-san-”

 

But a boisterous voice rudely interrupted him from behind.

 

“Who do you think you are to call His Majesty by his given name?”

 

Shocked beyond words, with too much information coming at once, without turning around to look at the source of the recent voice, all Aoi could do now was to gawk at the woman, no, _man_ in front of him whose expressionless face soon morphed into a sinister one.

 

“I hope you’ll enjoy your stay in the Kingdom of Lower Yamato, Aoi- _sama_.”

 

It was definitely the deep, southern emperor’s voice coming out of Kouyou’s throat.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta: the_duck_bride

Shock would have been a mild word to describe the bewilderment Aoi was currently experiencing. Not even once in his lifetime would the priest have guessed that the graceful lady he had met in the mountains was in fact the militant ruler of the southern kingdom in an elaborate disguise. This revelation, however, made sense how ‘Kouyou’ possessed such thorough grasp of her (more like his) country’s affairs – who else knew their own nation better than the emperor himself? Yet Aoi would have never imagined Emperor Uruha to be this feminine in appearance. Word floated around that the southern emperor’s looks were unparalleled, with ‘elegant’ suiting him the most. His elegance was, nevertheless, deceiving as Aoi had the misfortune of witnessing the other’s battle prowess on the opposing side. The man clearly commanded respect from his soldiers and awe from his enemies.

 

Speaking of whom, Aoi wondered what had happened to his people. Had Uruha let them go unscathed or slain every single one of them? The priest’s chest squeezed in agony as the worst scenes imaginable unfolded in his mind – with Kai’s head being mounted on a metal pole, paraded through town for southerners to see and laugh; also, as a macabre warning for anyone who wished to trace the northern emperor’s footsteps. What about Reita? Had he been butchered, with Aoi taken away, or left to die from his festering wounds? But whatever was the outcome, it was all Aoi’s fault that everything turned out this way; maybe he should have begged Kai more-

 

“Your emperor will live,” as if reading his mind, Uruha finally spoke up. His voice was deep and rich, with menace lurking behind that deceptively soothing tone. “If that’s what you’re wondering about.”

 

As if a heavy weight had been cast off his shoulders, Aoi sighed in relief.

 

“Sheesh, Imperial brother, you should have chopped his head off and displayed it for everyone to marvel downtown.” The same boisterous voice again. The owner of the said voice was petite, with a face that hadn’t lost its boyish charm yet – he was probably no more than eighteen years of age.

 

“You should ignore my younger brother’s nonsense,” the emperor scoffed. “Politics isn’t Ruki’s forte.” The latter statement made the younger male huff in response. He and Uruha didn’t seem to share a lot of common features, but Aoi guessed it was pretty common for late emperors to sire children from different concubines. Kai surprisingly didn’t have siblings, so Aoi could never judge it for himself.

 

Somehow Aoi was relieved that Uruha was the emperor, not his rowdy, seemingly hotheaded brother. Still, he wondered if presumably the crown prince had been the emperor instead, would the southerners have won this battle? He was inclined to disagree. And how long had he been unconscious? The gash on his back didn’t seem to have healed yet as it still notified its presence via intermittent dull pain. However, Aoi guessed he could live with it as for now. There were more pressing matters he should be worried about, like why they had brought him here. What purpose could he serve? Did it mean that his people’s supposed invasion was over? What was going to happen now?

 

“You were so chatty before, priest. What happened to you?” The snicker made him lose focus of his musings and the throbbing pain, causing him to turn his gaze back on the emperor.

 

“I don’t get why he gets preferential treatment, Imperial brother. Shouldn’t he be in the dungeons with the rest of his kind?”

 

So they had been captured after all. What about Kai and Reita? Had they been thrown in the cell together with everyone else? Did this make Aoi a prisoner of war as well?

 

“Once you’re ready to leave the bed, you can explore the palace on your own accord. And of course see your friends in the dungeon.” Uruha was calm yet derision was evident in his voice. “Make yourself at home, be my guest.” His sarcasm wasn’t very encouraging either.

 

Shaken, Aoi could only utter quietly.

 

“Am I your prisoner now?”

 

The southern emperor shrugged in feigned ignorance, the sinister smile returning to his lips.

 

“You said it yourself, not me.”

 

***

 

Despite Uruha’s suggestions that Aoi should “explore the palace”, the priest had no intentions of casually strolling around when his people were rotting in the dungeon. He wasn’t exactly sure of the treatment the northerners were receiving, but considering their aggressive deed, Aoi doubted that they were treated very well down there. Himself, he begrudgingly admitted that he was being pampered – the royal healer Toshiya managed to patch up his wound, somewhat alleviating his pain. The healer suggested him to take advantage of his rest time for the wound to heal properly, but Aoi was so ready to leave the chambers. The priest also declined an offer for a bath and southern robes out of solidarity for his men, not withstanding Ruki’s jeers. Despite Toshiya’s protests, no one really tried to convince or force him otherwise. Aoi didn’t want to get a special treatment when his men were all ragged and torn in the cell.

 

The southern palace screamed of grandeur – it was definitely more extravagant than Kai’s abodes. The decorations were more lavish, ornaments more elaborate, plants more lush, maids and guards donned in more elegant garments; all features consistent with a militant state that thrived on conquests, bragging all its power and wealth. Aoi even noticed myriads of ethnic decorations, probably taken as war trophies. Even with Upper Yamato’s flair for trade, the palace in the North could not boast with such versatility. Aoi could only assume that a nation would gain more physical wealth by force than through diplomacy, however destructive it was. He wondered if this was the future Kai envisioned for the North? Shiny stones and a golden throne? Aoi had to admit that his emperor really had changed after his trip to Lower Yamato, when he had come down here for the empress dowager’s birthday. But he knew that greed easily destabilized the rule: Aoi was a well-read man and skimmed through many scrolls depicting hunger for power as the reason for ancient civilizations’ downfall; he reckoned that the emperor should command respect rather than fear and hatred from their neighbours.

 

Deep in his thoughts, Aoi didn’t even notice that they reached the main doors. There was a giant flower garden connecting the Inner and Outer Courts, which required some mode of transport to cross it in the shortest amount of time. “Are you even capable of riding a horse?” Uruha smirked, as if mocking his abilities.

 

“Your Majesty,” Toshiya interjected. Respectfully, of course. “With his wound, he’d be better off in a carriage.” However, Uruha merely brushed the healer’s comment off.

 

“So can you?” The emperor asked him again.

 

Not wanting to be a taunting material, Aoi nodded in affirmation. He was given a black stallion as a result. Despite the horse’s intimidating size, Aoi managed to get control of it under the impressed glance from the emperor. Horse-riding wasn’t anything new to the priest since he used to accompany Kai on hunting trips, but he had to admit that with every gallop, his wound would remind him of its presence. However, Aoi was sick of being treated with backhanded respect so he tolerated the discomfort.

 

He realized that the northerners were still at fault since they were the ones who had broken the peace and probably deserved to be punished – but he wasn’t going to compromise on his dignity. Aoi still represented his people and he wasn’t going to let southerners shower him with patronizing looks. The only person who didn’t seem to openly disdain him was the royal healer, who looked like he was genuinely concerned over Aoi’s well-being. He couldn’t say that he fully understood the reason behind such treatment from Toshiya, but he definitely appreciated the change in attitude.

 

Spring was around the corner, yet only winter peonies were currently blooming in the immense garden. Their smell was faint but pleasant. Just like the palace’s opulence, the flowers’ fragrance slowly dissipated once they reached the entrance of the Outer Court. The dungeons were supposedly located in its outskirts, right next to the barracks. Soon, the entourage stopped in front of an enormous cave that served as an entrance to a mountain, supposedly drawing the northwest boundary of the imperial residence. It looked so primitive and out of place in such grandeur design; perhaps, the emperor reckoned that it was a well-fitted place for prisoners who didn’t deserve ‘luxury’ of a proper dungeon. Aoi watched many soldiers exiting the cave in groups. _Probably went to sneer at the prisoners_ , Aoi thought bitterly. Upon seeing the emperor, the soldiers quickly dropped to their knees, kowtowing to him. Uruha simply dismissed them with a flick of his wrist, indicating the guards to let him through.

 

The entrance of the cave was eerie enough to send shudders down Aoi’s spine. He nevertheless followed the emperor into the semi-darkness, partially brightened by beacons of fire. Shadows prowled on the walls, Aoi almost felt demonic presence in here. He could only imagine how many souls had been condemned to damnation until the end of their days in this place. The only things that encouraged him to venture deeper was Toshiya’s reassuring presence and, most importantly, the thought of his people suffering.

 

As they descended the rough terrain, supposedly served as stairs in this place, the air started to dampen while malordour of death began to replace the initial gloomy atmosphere. The partial darkness was ominous and Aoi almost gave up, until he saw a vast expanse, divided in half with metal bars. Guards patrolled this area, their chatter stifled by the sound of an underground stream running across the cave. Several men were detained behind the bars, gathered around a small bonfire on the sandy strip by the water; many perked up and drew closer to the bars upon seeing the priest.

 

“Aoi-sama!”

 

The priest’s heart clenched as he looked at his people’s haggard but relieved faces. He had failed them in this battle but they were still so jovial to see him - how was that even possible? Wasn’t Aoi supposed to bring them victory and victory _only_? Without Uruha’s permission (did he even need it?) he ran towards the metal bars and grabbed his soldiers’outreached hands. “Please forgive this foolish man, my friends.” Tears threateningly brimmed in his eyes as he realized what fate he had brought upon them.

 

“There is no need to blame yourself, Your Excellency.” A familiar voice caught his attention. A moment later, the broad figure of Major General Kaoru emerged from behind the soldiers. The dungeon had definitely roughened him up, yet he managed to retain his noble appearance suitable for a high-ranked general. “This time the enemy was far too strong.” He seemed like he had regretted following Kai’s orders for invasion yet a loyal man like him had to follow orders wholeheartedly. As long as Aoi could remember, Kaoru had always been like this: hating needless violence yet always prepared to defend his home. He, however, would follow Kai on every single expedition without question. One could not go against the emperor’s orders without being accused of treason. Especially, when you could not reason with the person Kai had become.

 

“But we weren’t supposed to end up like this.” Aoi lamented. “What happened to the rest?” Since he could see neither Kai nor Reita here. A part of him was relieved, yet uneasiness refused to leave his mind. “Did they escape?”

 

Kaoru could only sigh. “Uruha let them go on a condition that he would take you, one general and eight soldiers hostage until His Majesty signs the decree of defeat and starts paying an annual tribute for the next ten years to Lower Yamato. He said he’d release one person each year after the tribute is paid.”

 

While history illustrated worse punishments, Aoi was overwhelmingly discouraged by this news. The priest knew that Kaoru and he were the most valuable prisoners to the southerners, so obviously Uruha would refrain from releasing them earlier than the rest of the soldiers. As harsh as it sounded, Kai would have only agreed to pay the tribute for ten years in order to get his high-ranking personnel back. The major general and he most likely had to live in these foreign lands as prisoners for the next nine to ten years.

 

That if only Kai _agreed_ to accept defeat.

 

“…And what if our emperor rejects these terms?”

 

The dark look that crossed Kaoru’s face was clearly not a good sign.

 

“If His Majesty does not accept his defeat and does not send his first tribute by the end of this month, they’re going to behead us all then deal with the North in a more aggressive way.”

 

Aoi’s heart sunk at this statement. A strange sensation told him that his proud emperor would have great trouble accepting these terms. Kai had already beenhumiliated on the battlefield since it was his first defeat ever. And now he had to pay such hefty fine during his rule. He would be the first emperor of Upper Yamato to do so in all its history. Not something Kai would like the next generations to associate him with, obviously. The defeat would negate all the conquests he had made; this shame was too much for one man to bear.

 

Even if Kai agreed, ten years was a long time – Aoi wondered how anyone could survive this long in the dungeons. While Uruha didn’t look like he planned to throw Aoi in here, based on the more or less privileged treatment he had received before, what about the rest of the northerners? It wasn’t the matter of ‘if they would die’ – the question was ‘when they would die’. Uruha had nothing to lose. The North still had to pay up regardless of the prisoners. It was a win-win situation to him.

 

“And be thankful that I am being _extremely_ generous.” Aoi almost forgot that the southern emperor was standing right behind him, following their conversation in a leisurely manner. They were barely a threat to him. “Ten years of tribute in exchange for captives is nothing compared to my initial plan of slaughtering you all, then demanding tribute from his descendants for many decades after conquering the North.”

 

“You’re going to pay for this!” To Aoi’s horror, one of the younger-looking soldiers screamed. This wasn’t the time to agitate the one who had control over your life.

 

“Me?” Uruha looked at the boy questioningly and quickly overlooked such insolence. He nevertheless had to put the ignorant boy back in place. “I wasn’t the one who invaded someone else’s home.”

 

“It’s not like your kingdom wasn’t built on the blood of other nations.” Kaoru noted solemnly. While the major general was right, Aoi wished his people stopped antagonizing their captor. He did not wish to see his people dead before Kai even came to the final decision. “The South literally prospered from past invasions, and you are no different from your warmongering predecessors.”

 

“Then make sure to master the art of victory before you leave the comforts of your home,” Uruha concluded coldly. “Time’s up, by the way.” He then seized Aoi’s hand, prying him off the bars under louds protests of the locked up soldiers.

 

“Release him, you bastard!”

 

Aoi honestly couldn’t handle the thought of him enjoying foreign comforts while his kinsmen were tortured in this godforsaken place. Even Kaoru who had more strategic use than him was treated akin to a low-life criminal. The priest knew he was the talisman of their nation, so was Uruha trying to cripple their faith? Was he actually a god when the victory he (reluctantly) promised to his nation had never come true after all? A false deity, that was all he was.

 

“No, let me stay here!”Aoi tried to pry the emperor’s hand off his wrist. Taken aback at such change in demeanour, Uruha almost lost control of his grip. _Almost_.

 

“You wish to rot in this foul place as well, priest?” He looked at him inquisitively, his lips curved into a derisive grin.

 

“If my people suffer, I will too.” That was a bold statement to make, but Aoi’s convictions regarding this matter were unshaken: he was one of his people, so he was going to share their fate.

 

Uruha didn’t seem to be entertained by this idea. “I don’t need such valuable prisoner dying on me in a few days. Now cut this nonsense and come with me.” However, Aoi wouldn’t move by an inch. He remained rooted to the same spot, his eyes glaring at the other in defiance.

 

“Your Excellency, you don’t have to do this!” Kaoru cried in despair, seeing Aoi’s persistence. How could he let their talisman, their _god_ rot in this damned cell? It would be an insult to the heavens. Even if the northerners got out of this disaster alive, Kai would punish them severely by allowing Aoi to go through this ordeal.

 

“No!” Disregarding all his manners, Aoi crudely pushed the emperor away. That seemed to have fazed Uruha enough to let go of the priest’s hand. Yet Aoi had probably miscalculated his own strength, since he ended up collapsing against the bars. A few soldiers gasped at this sight, but Aoi remained resolute. “I’m staying here or you’ll have to kill me.”

 

Uruha’s face was bereft of its initial mirth, a sinister expression replacing it.

 

“Suit yourself. Let’s see if a _god_ like you would survive even a week here. But if you die on me, blame yourself. I’ve been more than generous to you.”

 

Aoi scowled at such insult. At first, he sincerely felt apologetic that his men had committed a grave mistake by invading their neighbour, hence jeopardizing the peace between two nations. But here, Uruha blatantly disrespected him. While physical prowess wasn’t his bragging point, Aoi was going to show that smug emperor that he wasn’t some delicate flower that needed coddling to survive.

 

***

 

Aoi hated to admit it but he indeed found the conditions in the dungeon to be tremendously difficult to adapt to; they were certainly different from the ones back in Kai’s palace. Fatigued and hungry, the moist environment was driving him insane. It was a sin to treat gods like this in the North. He guessed that Uruha didn’t care much for his supposed godly status, and even _challenged_ the idea of Aoi being immortal. Honestly, the priest wasn’t too keen to test that. Food and clean water was scarce while the wound on his back had more difficulty to heal properly under these circumstances.

 

Perhaps Uruha was correct – for someone who had grown up in the palace, Aoi wasn’t used to such harsh conditions; the soldiers fared so much better than him. Regardless of Uruha’s every intention to punish the northerners, he seemed to be putting an effort in keeping them alive; sufficient to make one feel weakened and malnourished but not enough to starve to death. Aoi was definitely taking it harder than the rest, seasoned warriors. Even the young boys could handle it better than him. While Aoi could tolerate the hunger at the beginning since he wasn’t much of an eater (Aoi ate humbly - surprise, surprise), he definitely would like more water.

 

“We’re out of water and it’s only been two days,” he noted wistfully, glancing at the empty water barrel. The others conceded silently, some even resorted to quenching their thirst from the stream that ran through their cell. The waters were unsurprisingly murky but despite Aoi’s recommendations, many soldiers still yielded to their thirst. Which was totally reasonable. The priest just didn’t want them to fall sick from drinking such dirty water, that’s all. It clearly tasted foul. Instead, he decided to push his luck by asking two guards on patrol.

 

“Can we please have some more water?”

 

But it all seemed to be in vain as the guards only sneered at his request.

 

“Thought gods didn’t need water for sustenance.”

 

“You were ordered to keep _everyone_ alive,” Aoi pointed out more or less tactfully.

 

“Well.” One guard shrugged. “That dirty stream seems to suit your northern tastes.” And then they both hollered.

 

Uruha was clearly testing him; waiting for him to break, but he wasn’t going to give the southern emperor this satisfaction. The man might have been a warfare tactician, but Aoi wasn’t a prime graduate for nothing. The priest wasn’t going to fall into despair that quick. There ought to be a method to collect water in a way that rendered it potable. The most foolproof way was to find the stream’s origin. Underground water didn’t just appear inside caves out of nowhere.

 

Thus, the stream had to come from somewhere outside, where the original source wasn’t tampered with the dirt and sand in the cave. Most likely, a river system nearby, yet with winter only about to end, Aoi didn’t have high hopes for an abundant water body. Most rivers would have been partially dried off or frozen still. However, Aoi still decided to explore all the nooks and crannies to identify some sort of leak, however, it seemed like there was only one source of natural water in this whole place.

 

“Can we just boil this water?” Kaoru suggested, pointing at the bonfire.

 

“We’ll definitely have to.” Aoi didn’t object. “But there’s still too much dirt in it.”

 

“Your Excellency, my soldiers are actually content with drinking straight off the strea-”

 

But Aoi silenced him with a stubborn glare. He knew where the major general was leading: he wanted Aoi to finally give in to the emperor, so as to spare his fate from rotting in this prison. How thoughtful of him, but Aoi needed everyone to benefit from his stay. The answer slowly crept into his head when his gaze fell on the sandy strip. _Sand_. He then looked around the cave, and it finally dawned upon him. _Rocks_. If he remembered one ancient scroll correctly, sand and rocks were used as a method to purify water in ancient Egypt.

 

As soon as this idea came to his mind, he immediately ordered his men to bring around the empty water barrel and remove its bottom part. He then ordered them to invert the barrel so that its opening was now below. Kaoru didn’t seem like he understood the reasoning behind flipping then deconstructing the barrel but complied. Afterwards, Aoi placed the pot devoid of food underneath the opening, and then told his men to layer the rocks first, then sand on top. Some man collected water from the dirty stream and poured it into the barrel. Crossing fingers, Aoi hoped that he remembered the concept right and almost yelled in excitement when the water pouring into the bowl looked significantly less murky. Now all they needed to do was to boil the treated water over the bonfire. While it didn’t taste as good as the water served in the palace, it still managed to quell his thirst.

 

As he had expected, the guards were pretty amazed by the whole ordeal; words about the northern priest turning dirty water into a clear drink had spread throughout the palace. Toshiya was one of the first people to hear about it. All this while, the royal healer had tried to bring food and water to the dungeons, only to have them confiscated by the guards at the entrance. Toshiya was lucky he could keep his head intact after disobeying Uruha’s orders repeatedly. Yet he remained firm in his beliefs about Aoi.

 

“Your Majesty, I humbly advise you to release this priest. We should respect him like the godly man he is.”

 

Uruha rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t the one who put him behind the bars.” He also guessed that the supposed magical trick was a farce – the priest didn’t conjure it out of nowhere, it probably came with his academic background. However, the southern emperor now saw that he couldn’t take on this priest easily. Nonetheless, every man had his limits, educated or not.“He might get clear water but he won’t grow food that fast in those conditions.”

 

And the emperor was right, because on the fifth day Aoi’s stomach grumbling had become unbearable. Despite Uruha’s intentions of keeping them alive, he was planning to starve the northerners so bad till they passed out. “We are going to die at this rate,” the youngest captive wept. Aoi felt like it was partially his fault – had he agreed to stay in the palace, Uruha wouldn’t have to break their spirit. Once again, he tried to reason with the guards. And once again, his attempts were futile – it made sense, those men had no sympathy for them and just followed Uruha’s orders.

 

“Look, the emperor has enough mouths to feed.”

 

Fair enough, winter has barely ended, so it wasn’t like they were expecting bountiful harvest right now. Belligerent nations like Lower Yamato heavily depended on import from conquered territories to survive through cold seasons. However, the winter south of the Alps were much milder. Ideally, the southerners should have taken advantage of their geographical position.

 

“You live in the south, so the soil here is better than the one in the north.”

 

“Our vaults are being depleted and it hasn’t rained in a month. So if you’d like the crops to grow faster, you may as well use your god-like powers to call on the rain or something,” one guard snickered.

 

_So that’s what it is._

 

“Alright.” Aoi deadpanned, causing the southern duo to stare at him incredulously. “Relay to your emperor that I’ll call the rain but he’ll have to stop starving the prisoners.”

 

Similar to the previous incident, again, the word has spread like wildfire. Toshiya became increasingly concerned. What was Aoi thinking? The healer was definitely impressed by the northern priest’s ability to purify the water but call upon the _rain_ whenever he felt like it? That was absurd.

 

“My Lord.” The royal healer looked flustered. The guards finally let him inside the cave once they searched him up, finding no hidden food or water. “I understand that you are a man of god but how long are you going to challenge His Majesty? I think it’s in your best interest to leave this dungeon – it’s not doing your wound any favour as well.”

 

Aoi merely smiled. He really appreciated the other man’s concern but he wasn’t going to back off. The priest knew he was playing with fire right now, as Kuraokami – the god of rain and snow – usually brought snow during winter and didn’t normally return to their lands with rainwater until summer. They were only days away from spring. Yet hope lingered in his heart.

 

“I’ll talk to the rain dragon. Despite his fearsome nature, he is usually compassionate to people in need, ” Aoi replied. “I’ll do it, as long as your emperor promises to give us more food if I win.”

 

Toshiya let out a deep sigh. “His Majesty is known to be open to challenges and staying true to his word.”

 

“I just have one request.”Aoi then whispered in the healer’s ear, leaving Toshiya completely speechless.

 

And for the next few days, the healer would bring Aoi a winter peony from the same garden bed. He had instructed Toshiya to bring the flower to him immediately after plucking it, otherwise it would be rendered useless. Despite the other man’s best effort, however, none of the flowers had satisfied his criteria. Only on the eleventh day Aoi received what he wanted; any later, and the priest would have almost passed out from hunger by then. Shivering, he brought the flower close to his nose.

 

_There it is._

 

Aoi trembled in fear but decided to stick to his plan. He had gone this far.

 

“Tell them I can command the rain to come.”

 

And they let him out. He wasn’t sure whether Uruha was serious about believing him – maybe he was just having a laugh at him, because just like Aoi, the emperor definitely had nothing to lose. Or maybe curiosity had actually overtaken him, as the declaration Aoi had made was anything but humble. His boldness could have cost him his life be he in another kingdom with a more ruthless ruler. But here, he had nothing to lose.

 

Later in the day, the guards escorted him to the main shrine of the southern palace. It looked different from the one at home, the only place in Lower Yamato which didn’t seem as extravagant. This could have been attributed to the fact that Uruha didn’t seem to be overly superstitious. Which was surprising, since most warlords tend to believe in god’s blessings bestowed on them during conquests.

 

Meanwhile, an academic nation like Upper Yamato never had opulent shrines until Aoi had been elected as the royal priest. The priest was thankful that he had chosen to merge his faith with academic teachings; otherwise he would not have been able to pull that trick in the prison before. Maybe he could recognize the signs of impending rain, yet he could not explain why the gods decide to make the weather the way it is – but whatever it was, Kuraokami had probably heard his prayers and decided to show his presence again. Aoi’s chest swelled with trepidation as he felt the wind blow his hair.

 

It came from the east. Just what he needed for confirmation. Aoi was now filled with hope. Standing in front of the altar with a black stone figure of a horse as the main offering, he burned some incense and said some incantations. He knew that there was huge gathering around the shrine with many pairs of eyes on him, the most judgmental one belonging to the southern emperor. Uruha’s gaze was so intense, it almost bore a hole in Aoi’s head yet the priest paid no heed and continued his prayers. He was kneeling in front of the altar for god how many hours, his knees getting sore and bruised but soon felt relieved when he heard droplets of water hitting the ground.

 

The rain god had indeed answered his prayers.

 

Overjoyed, Aoi neither took notice of shocked expressions on the southerners’ faces, nor saw how Uruha’s scowl had deepened as if the priest had just slighted him.

 

“Your Majesty,” Again, Toshiya was shocked beyond words. Mesmerized, he stared at dark clouds in the sky, as rain droplets slid down his face. “Your humble subject thinks that the northern priest is wasting his potential in the dungeon.”

 

“Like I’ve said before - I didn’t put him in there,” Uruha grunted, not bothering to hide from rain. He still could not believe it was mere coincidence that the god of rain and snow just decided to pay them a visit so soon when it wasn’t summer yet. His own priests were baffled by Aoi’s ability to call upon the rain – normally, it took them days for their prayers to reach the heavens. Failure wasn’t uncommon. How could Aoi know the exact date when the rain would come? Could he actually communicate with other deities while the northerners’ defeat at the Alps was just bad luck? No, there was definitely a catch somewhere, Uruha knew. He didn’t believe in mystic powers blindly like his predecessors. There was a reason behind every event in this world, and something wasn’t adding up in Aoi’s case.

 

“I dare not to disrespect Your Majesty, but maybe you should at least rethink his request?” Toshiya suggested. After all, Aoi had succeeded in what he had promised.

 

Uruha couldn’t go back on his words. “Fine,” he said coolly. “Give him more food.”

 

But that wasn’t going to satisfy Aoi just yet. “I don’t mean to be rude or ungrateful, Your Highness, but I am not going to accept your food until you promise me something more.” He knew he was pushing his boundaries right now. Because the murderous glint in Uruha’s eyes almost made him take his words back.

 

“I’ve already granted your original wish. Remember where you are, priest.”

 

Yet Aoi wasn’t going to back down. He wasn’t normally this confrontational due to his compliant nature, however leaving business unfinished wasn’t his style. The priest was determined to fight for his people’s rights if that was what they had come to in the end. He wasn’t just going to meekly accept the contempt from the southerners. Yes, they were at fault. He wouldn’t deny it. But he wasn’t going to let his soldiers wither in that dark cave. If Uruha planned to treat him like a special prisoner, then the rest of the northerners should be able to stay here with their dignity intact.

 

“Your Majesty needs to promise me that my people are going to be well-fed and taken care of until the fated day. If our Emperor does not deliver your demands then you shall proceed with whatever judgment you’ve prepared for us all.”

 

If Aoi was honest, then he would admit that the unreadable expression on Uruha’s face unnerved him. The priest was completely pushing it; pushing it so hard that it was beyond reasonable limits. Aoi was perfectly aware that he had no authority here – how dare he make requests to the emperor of these lands? Shouldn’t the fact that he hadn’t been executed for challenging the supreme ruler delight him?

 

“Take the prisoners to the barracks and give them fresh clothes.” Luck was surely on his side today, as Aoi couldn’t help but smile brightly upon hearing those words. Perhaps, he had made the right choice by rejecting Uruha’s special treatment and staying behind with his people instead. Otherwise, he would have never forgiven himself, seeing his brethren suffer while he indulged in southern comforts. Perseverance was the key to success, and he had learned that while studying for Imperial examinations.

 

Soon, the emperor indicated that it was time for the crowd to disperse and get back to their duties. Aoi was about to follow Kaoru and the rest to the barracks when a strong hand locked his wrist in a grip.

 

“I know who you are, Aoi.” Uruha’s voice was wrapped with frost. “What happened today was far from magic. You are a learned man, and surely those antics of yours were the product of your education and, of course, luck.”

 

“But it happened, didn’t it?” Aoi knew that luck played a significant role these two weeks. While he knew that spring sometimes brought rain upon the Great Island, he couldn’t have been sure that it was definitely going to happen. It could have been weeks before it actually rained. Gods were fickle, especially dragons, yet the signs didn’t let him down in the end. While the water purification trick was hard to go wrong, making bets on the weather was on a completely other level. Aoi would certainly make a grand feast to appease Kuraokami for his benevolence. Once he was back in the North, of course.

 

“I may not be a _prime graduate_ like you, but I’m certainly no fool.” And Aoi never thought it otherwise. Uruha was definitely a shrewd man.“There’s a reason why I’ve been able to continue the legacy of the late emperors.”

 

“Your Majesty, I have no intentions of humiliating you.” The priest honestly wanted to save his people. He just had other means of doing so. “In truth, I didn’t learn these things from the Northern scholars. I acquired this knowledge from foreign traders. You have to understand that knowledge is power, and sometimes it’s your strongest weapon. Your Highness can intimidate others with your strength, but you are going to gain nothing more than their submission. However, when you offer them respect, they will most likely exchange knowledge with you, making you more powerful than ever. That’s how trade triumphs warfare.”

 

As a pacifist, Aoi genuinely wanted to show the warlike emperor that there was another path to prosperity, which didn’t entail blood. Maybe Uruha would be able to find a way to forgive the northerners for their reckless attempt at invasion and lighten the punishment. Maybe they would re-establish their diplomatic relationship and focus on improving trade between two nations. They had so much to learn from each other. Uruha seemed to have absorbed his words, as the southern emperor remained silent for a moment.

 

Yet the grip around Aoi’s wrist didn’t loosen at any point in time, and the priest’s heart sunk again when the familiar smirk stretched across the emperor’s lips.

 

“Since you’re so adept at diplomacy, I guess I’ve got a perfect job for you.”

 

And somehow it didn’t forebode anything pleasant.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta: the_duck_bride (thank you again for your hard work)
> 
> there's also some terminology in this chapter:  
> 1) Tang Dynasty - an ancient Chinese dynasty existing from 618-907 AD  
> 2) morokoshi - an obsolete Japanese name for China and all things Chinese  
> 3) tessen - a Japanese iron fan used as a weapon  
> 4) shaku - a tablet (made of oak, ivory and etc) that Japanese emperors carried around esp during official ceremonies  
> 5) miko - supplementary priestess in Shinto shrines  
> 6) oni - demon in Japanese folktales  
> 7) lingchi - 'death by a thousand cuts' - a pretty gruesome torture/execution method pioneered by the Chinese during the Tang dynasty  
> 8) onmyoji - practitioners of astronomy, divination and occult in Japan; they were highly regarded members of the imperial court, and emperors usually took them very seriously  
> 9) kannushi - your normal Shinto priest, so to speak.

Aoi certainly had a fairly solid grasp of peacekeeping; different nations signed the pact of non-aggression and in many cases, collaborated with one another towards a prosperous future ahead. However, when these very nations had once battled each other, reparations had to be paid for all the suffering caused by the war. Most of the time, the tributary system was limited to the situation where the winner and the loser were clearly defined. For many years, Upper Yamato had always belonged to the first category until the judgment day crept upon them - Kai became the first emperor to turn their nation into the vassal state ever since Yamato’s split into two separate kingdoms many decades ago. This turn of events may have marked the downfall of the northern empire as an independent state, crippled by failure and humiliation.

 

The priest couldn’t imagine the shame Kai had to bear right now. Surely, the verdict Uruha had imposed on the North could have been harsher (not that Aoi actually wished for that either, god forbid) – the victorious side rarely demanded _ten_ hostages only. No, the winners would rampage across the defeated nation, pillage their homes, rape their women and turn their children into slaves in vengeance. Yet Uruha did none of that, despite this tradition being a prominent feature of Lower Yamato’s history; a tradition that had taken place ever since their first emperor established the belligerent southern kingdom from the ashes of the ancient Yamato’s war-supporting generals.

 

Still, before any peace could have been established, the instigators had to be punished somehow. While Uruha might not have condemned the North to its ruin like how his forefathers would have possibly done, Upper Yamato was still about to be transformed into a tributary state for ten years; before the northern troops could even cross the mountains, before they could even properly set their feet into the southern territory. Ten years might not be a long period for the whole nation, but it was definitely a luxury for the hostages who had to rot miserably in their cell. Nonetheless, thanks to his stunt, Aoi managed to secure a more or less comfortable stay for his people. Notwithstanding his own dismal time in that dreary cave, Aoi would never regret doing what he had to do. The southerners had better not underestimate him – he might not have the supposed magical powers, but he was certainly no fool.

 

Thus, he realized that Uruha entrusting him with a ‘job’ wasn’t really an occasion to celebrate.

 

Specifically, the task revolved around the Tang Dynasty1 or _morokoshi 2 _as most Yamato people branded this nation across the sea in the near West. Personally, Aoi considered this term rather unflattering since the Tangs prided themselves as denizens of the mighty ‘Middle Kingdom’. Regarding his case, the Tang ambassador was currently on his way to Lower Yamato, with a mission to re-establish the dynasty’s connection with Ryukyu Islands. The kingdom existing on these islands were currently under the protectorate of the southern kingdom after Uruha had driven the Tangs out of that territory several months ago. According to the letter Uruha had received, the ambassador was coming to negotiate the trade for the Tangs as they had lost their claim over these islands ever since their defeat. Obviously, they were going to offer Uruha many goods in return, and the thing that piqued the emperor’s interest wasn’t a shiny one, as one would assume.

 

“Black powder,” Uruha told him, as they sipped on their tea in the middle of the imperial garden. The spring finally came, filling the palace with the aroma of flowers. The fragrant environment was capable of calming anyone’s mind yet Aoi felt unease creeping into him. Disregarding the other’s silent reply, the southern emperor merely continued, “I’ve gathered intel that the morokoshi have this powerful weapon in their arsenal. And I want you to get more information about it from the ambassador.”

 

Despite being up to date with most things pertaining the Tang Dynasty, due to Upper Yamato’s amicable relationship with them, Aoi knew nothing about this ‘black powder’. If it was something unheard of, then it must have been some sort of national secret, guarded heavily by the Imperial Court. How on earth did Uruha manage to dig such information out? Whatever it was though, a powerful weapon wasn’t there to serve for the greater good. As Aoi was acutely aware of Lower Yamato’s rather militaristic policies, he speculated that gaining new weapons would be Uruha’s upmost priority when it came to an exchange with foreigners. _Another harbinger of destruction_ , the priest was correct for being at such unease – he wasn’t exactly keen on their southern neighbours acquiring that sort of destructive force in such close proximity to his homeland. But who was he trying to fool? His own emperor had instigated this unrest after all, and Uruha merely retaliated in defense of his home. Yet the notion of suchformidable weapon being in Uruha’s possession didn’t particularly sit well with him either.

 

“If this information hasn’t been traded with other nations, I think there must be a good reason behind it, Your Highness,” Aoi tried to gently dissuade the other from that idea. The tea in his hands had long gone cold, yet his hands somehow tensed around the porcelain, almost dropping the cup, as if being seared by dread. He lifted his gaze, searching for sensibility in those cold blue eyes that were languidly following the subtle shift of his fingers. Could Uruha feel his apprehension?

 

Since he had arrived in Lower Yamato two weeks prior, Aoi learned that irrespective of their differences, Uruha was someone he could actually reason with. _Sometimes_. And that of course depended on the nature of the request.

 

Because this time Uruha merely smirked at his words, as if they were of no account. “I was the one who defeated them in Ryukyu, so if they want to restore their relationship with that land, they will have to meet my demands.”

 

 _Fair enough_ , Aoi admitted internally. But that could also make the Tangs become even more wary of Lower Yamato. Not only was Uruha trying to aggravate such a powerful empire with his proposed high taxes on Tang’s products, but he also wanted to demand information on their national treasure. Besides, that may also infer the presence of southern Yamato spies in the Middle Kingdom - while _theoretically_ having foreign spies in one’s country was a common occurrence, no one ever boldly declared their presence, so as not to cast suspicion.

 

Yet there was one thing Aoi couldn’t wrap his head around. He was a priest – a spiritual leader, not a diplomat. His scope of practice included praying for the nation’s well being and conducting religious ceremonies. Well, his duty also included (reluctantly) accompanying Kai on the emperor’s campaigns, but more so for morale rather than having any combative role. But he had never been officially taught negotiation skills necessary for diplomatic missions. Just because he hailed from a historically diplomatic state, it didn’t mean that he had knack for negotiations of such grand scale.

 

“I am humbled that Your Majesty chose me for such an important task.” Aoi gently placed his cup on the table, some hesitation waving into his voice though he tried to keep it steady. “However, I’m sure that you have many skilled southern ministers who are more suitable for this.”

 

The southern emperor raised his eyebrows, seeming almost unsure of whether the man in front of him was deliberately playing a fool or not. While Aoi wasn’t his subordinate, the priest was still his prisoner, so technically had even less authority in this land. Disobeying the emperor’s order? It was simply unheard of.

 

“I’ll hear your opinion when I ask for it,” was Uruha’s emotionless response. And with that, he flicked his _tessen 3_, subtly indicating that their conversation was over. Speaking of the tessen, Aoi was pretty surprised that the southern emperor didn’t carry a _shaku 4_ – an ivory tablet – around like Yamato rulers normally did, opting for a weapon subtly disguised as a handheld fan instead. Its harmless design may deceive many, but Aoi had already seen something similar in Reita’s possession before. After all, he had once cut himself accidentally with its razor-sharp steel plates when he had tried to playfully grab the fan from the general’s hand.

 

Aoi shuddered thinking that Uruha might have slashed or even clubbed someone to death for insubordination with this heavy iron fan. The southern emperor had been fairly lenient so far in regards to his treatment.

 

Now that their conversation was over, all Aoi could do was to return to his (temporary) abodes. Despite his request to stay in the barracks with everyone else, Uruha had arranged him a chamber within the imperial palace; way too extravagant for his tastes, but Aoi had known better than to argue with the emperor. He had already crossed that line twice before, pleasantly surprised that his head was still intact.

 

During his stay, Aoi received everything he needed in terms of food, drink and clothes but the only thing that he yearned for the most was somehow out of his reach. Having access to basic (and not so basic) necessities as a war prisoner was surely a luxury, yet all Aoi truly wished for was to be able to see his northern brethren occasionally. However, Uruha prohibited him from visiting the barracks - every time Aoi asked for the emperor’s permission, he was just declined all over again. Sneaking out was not an option – he had been caught before, and not just once, but _thrice_ in the short span of just three days staying in the palace (you do the math).

 

Uruha hadn’t been pleased with that yet he hadn’t touched a single strand on Aoi’s blond head. No, the emperor hadn’t punished the sneaky priest – instead, on the third day, he ordered that the guards responsible for Aoi’s chambers to be beheaded. If it hadn’t been for Aoi’s pleas, decapitated heads would have been rolling down that pristine floor. Instead, these young boys had been thrown into the prison.

 

 _“It’s not his fault for sneaking out, it’s your fault for not apprehending him,”_ were Uruha’s sly words to the guards. Those boys’ eyes filled with pure hatred would probably haunt Aoi until the end of his days.

 

The emperor knew where to strike Aoi the hardest, knew that the compassionate priest couldn’t accept unnecessary deaths to transpire under his nose, not at somebody else’s expense. The guilt was too much for him to endure. Aoi then vowed that he wouldn’t allow blood to be shed over his selfish desires, as much as it killed him inside not being able to visit his people.

 

“You worry too much, my Lord,” Toshiya constantly tried to coax him. The imperial healer frequently visited his room to check on his wound and change his bandages. “His Majesty would never go back on his word. Your people are being well taken of.”

 

 _For three more weeks if Kai-sama doesn’t agree to the terms_ , Aoi lamented bitterly. “Am I at least able to exchange letters with them?”

 

“You know that the guards will have to read the contents of your letters first before passing them.” Seeing a hopeful glint in Aoi’s eyes, Toshiya quickly added. “And they will find someone who’s literate enough to read them, trust me, my Lord.” It pained him to do that, but he had to crush the priest’s feeble hopes right now and here. But not all was lost. “Why don’t you just focus on the task that His Highness gave you? Maybe he’ll grant your wish after it’s over and done with.”

 

That wasn’t an entirely bad proposition, but it didn’t quell Aoi’s unease.

 

“What if the emperor is going to use this newfound information to spread fear and wreck havoc?”

 

Toshiya’s gentle expression immediately morphed into a grim one. During his whole stay in the southern kingdom, this was the first time Aoi had seen the healer this angry. He almost regretted his words. “As much as I respect you, my Lord, I don’t think such hostile words are befitting of my Emperor. His Majesty is one of the most peaceful rulers in my nation’s history and honestly, he has been more than generous to you and your people. During my twenty years of serving as an imperial healer, this is the first time I’ve seen prisoners getting away with the crime they’ve committed.”

 

“Getting away?” A frown appeared on Aoi’s face, as he repeated after the healer in disbelief. “Being locked away in a cold, dark cave for god how many years unless I had enough courage to do what I had to do? Having our heads chopped off in a few weeks time unless our emperor agrees to your emperor’s terms?”

 

“Aoi-sama’s people were the ones who planned to invade my home, please do not forget that,” Toshiya pointed out sternly.“I may hold Your Excellency in high regard, but there are still plenty of people in this palace who feel otherwise. Unfortunately for you, I do not have much authority to protect you or your kin from the resentment of the others, so His Majesty Uruha may be your only chance.”

 

The last line definitely brought Aoi back into his senses albeit reluctantly. How could he accept protection from someone who was so condescending to him? Aoi couldn’t care less if Uruha didn’t see him as a god – hell, Aoi doubted his own self occasionally. What’s more insulting, was that Uruha saw him as a spoiled princess incapable of physical hardships. He was a priest, not a concubine (on the other hand, he was sure that even concubines had to survive the grueling politics in the harem in order to get the emperor’s attention).

 

Aoi knew that the older man was just trying to help him out. He still owed Toshiya since the healer had done him a tremendous favour when he had stubbornly locked himself up in the prison. Maybe he should indeed stay low for now until he could request something from Uruha again.

 

“Aoi-sama, you should rest while you still can.” A gentle smile returned to Toshiya’s lips as he patted the other’s shoulder lightly. “Oh, and Hiroto has already prepared the bath for you, so I shall leave you to it.” He then bowed and left the room.

 

Sighing heavily, Aoi proceeded to the bath. Upon opening the huge oak doors, the vast expanse of marble met his eyes. This wasn’t his first time using the bath yet its opulence still managed to baffle him every time he entered this room. The bath itself was more akin to a massive pool than a tub; giant pillars with intricate ornaments held the seemingly never-ending ceiling. Steam billowed in the air, covering the whole space like a semitransparent curtain. He had to squint his eyes to take notice of a young boy, his hands holding towels and a basket as he kneeled by the edge of the pool.

 

“Good evening, Aoi-sama. Your bath is ready.” Hiroto bowed at the incoming priest. Uruha had given him this boy servant instead of a maid for some reason. While he was more used to the female presence around him due to having _miko_ s5 in his shrine, Aoi didn’t complain about the change in terms of company. It might have been ever better for him because Aoi would probably feel bashful under female glances all over his exposed body. It wasn’t like he lacked servants back in the North but, really, he could have managed the bath without an extra pair of hands. That semi-ascetic lifestyle of his probably had a profound influence over his psyche, but right now they were all men here so there was nothing for him to feel embarrassed about, right?

 

Aoi submerged himself halfway into the waters after discarding his robes, his tense body instantly relaxing at such pleasant warmth. He then allowed Hiroto to thread his fingers through his blond tresses, coating them with some cleansing liquid that smelled like a fusion of herbs. Their aroma soon permeated the air as it intermingled with the steam, yet despite such indulgent treatment, thoughts of his people refused to leave his troubled mind. Aoi wondered if his kin were treated decently as how Toshiya claimed; if the southern soldiers living in the barracks didn’t try to harm them since they were essentially enemies of this kingdom now. Toshiya said that Uruha gave them his protection, but would the emperor’s words suffice to pacify the hatred within his people?

 

“My Lord, we have run out of some oils. I shall be back shortly,” Hiroto excused himself in a quiet voice. The warm water and Hiroto’s soothing hands almost lulled Aoi into slumber. He blinked several times before nodding his head, giving the boy the cue that he had heard the other.

 

In a hurry, Hiroto had forgotten to close the doors behind him, leaving the bath wide open. However, its entrance and exit – essentially the same entity – were connected to his private chamber, so Aoi didn’t really mind the boy’s misstep. After all, there was no reason for anyone to visit him this late. If anything, he or she would have to go past the guards patrolling outside his quarters first.

 

Aoi rested his head against the edge, his eyes looking far in prostration. Although the priest couldn’t possibly see it, he knew that outside the palace night had already draped the sky like an obsidian curtain, with stars scattered along that celestial fabric like blots of white dye. Through the misty veil of steam, his eyes were outlining the imaginary silhouette of a willowy beauty with long jet-black hair and blue eyes. He wondered if Uruha, with his penchant for cross-dressing, would somehow reappear in front of Aoi in that outfit and flash that teasing smile of his. Aoi’s cheeks, already flushed by the heat of the steam, seemed to have gone a few shades redder at that thought, and an awfully familiar discomfort twirled in his stomach or perhaps even slightly lower down that region…However, from what he’d learned so far, the southern emperor had no intentions of humoring him. Why did everything have to come to this?

 

His thoughts quickly dispersed as soon as he heard faint footsteps echoing in the distance, the sound originating from his room. They didn’t sound like they belonged to Hiroto whose steps were much louder due to his heavy, crudely made shoes. Did Toshiya decide to check up on him again, even though they had just exchanged words an hour ago? Or was it Uruha who was barging into his bath so tactlessly? Aoi’s bets laid on the latter due to the southern emperor’s notorious volatility.

 

“Your Highness.” Without even sparing a single glance at the intruder, Aoi trailed off, his voice bereft of the priest’s characteristic courtesy. Did Uruha come here to taunt him again? “If you have something else to say-” He craned his neck to finally face the person who disturbed his peace; yet his pupils dilated from fear when the person in front of him bore no resemblance to the southern emperor. Or anyone he expected in that matter.

 

Instead, the man in front of him was clad in black from head to toe, his face hidden behind an _oni 6 _mask that eerily reminded him of Uruha’s battlefield mask. What was more concerning; the man’s right hand was currently unsheathing a sword from the scabbard strapped to his waist. What kind of cruel prank was Uruha trying to play on him? But as Aoi had already realized, the man in front of him was clearly not Uruha despite the mask he wore – his stockier but shorter build probably gave him away.

 

“Who are you?” Aoi asked the intruder fearfully, his eyes refusing to leave the sword. He was probably right to assume that the man had _very_ serious intentions of using it against him. Realization finally dawned on him when the unknown intruder swiftly loomed over him and swung his sword at him, causing him to yelp in fear.

 

_Assassin._

 

“Help!” Aoi cried, trying to duck away from the deadly weapon. The blade caught several of his loose strands, as he tried to get further away from the assailant to the other end of the pool. The man followed suit, jumping into the waters. _Where were the guards when he needed them?_ Aoi’s cries must have been loud enough because in no time, Hiroto ran back into the bath, dropping all the stuff he was carrying, the soles of his crude shoes hitting the floor furiously. As he reached the pool, the boy leapt onto the man in an attempt to bring the assailant down with him. However, even a fool could see that there was a significant physical discrepancy between them as the more robust assassin simply swatted the frailer boy away. Hiroto’s head forcefully hit the edge of the pool, and soon the waters started to acquire a ghastly crimson hue as blood oozed out of his wound. Aoi gasped in horror at this sight and quickly trudged through the waters towards the poor injured boy, who just tried to save him.

 

“Hiroto!” Aoi shook the youngster’s body that was immobilized with pain, but the boy would only respond with pained groans. Meanwhile, the slightly disoriented assassin didn’t waste time, rapidly reaching for his weapon that sunk to the bottom of the pool, before slowly creeping towards to them. Aoi failed to prevent himself from closing his eyes, unable to come to terms with what was about to happen - so here he was, destined to die in these foreign lands after all. Just like this.

 

However, the gods probably thought that he hadn’t fulfilled his role in this world yet, because soon he heard the similar sound of frantic footfalls coming from his room again, but with a little exception: this time a familiar baritone called his name out.

 

“Aoi!”

 

Upon hearing the emperor’s voice, the assassin visibly flinched (in fear as Aoi speculated) and hastily treaded through deep waters towards the exit. Aoi couldn’t say he understood the man’s current motives because he suddenly spared their lives and was literally running to his doom instead. Because in a flash, the emperor appeared at the entrance, skillfully deflecting the assailant’s blade with his tessen. The assassin shrieked in pain when the sharp iron plates slashed his neck and dropped down to his knees, clutching to his throat. Several guards then appeared behind their emperor before surrounding the pool.

 

Uruha picked the assassin by the collar, forcing the man to look into his eyes.

 

“You sure left a messy scene after taking down all those guards.” He tried his best to miss vital vessels, to gain enough time for interrogation. “On whose orders did you act?” Yet in rage, Uruha had probably managed to sever the jugular vein because soon the assassin started to gurgle blood before his pulse came to a dead halt.

 

Coldly, Uruha ordered the guards to dispose of the body. Under the gasps of some servants, he then thoughtlessly treaded into the waters towards Aoi who was still shivering at the end of the pool, with a now unconscious Hiroto by his side.

 

“Please help him!” Aoi grasped the emperor’s extending arm abruptly, catching the younger by surprise.

 

“I can give you another servant,” he replied but at the sight of the teary eyed Aoi ordered the guards to take the injured boy servant to Toshiya. Uruha was still baffled to what extent other people’s lives meant to the northern priest, who even climbed out of the pool in an attempt to follow the guards who carried Hiroto away.

 

Uruha then got out of the water himself and snapped his fingers, indicating to the maids that Aoi probably needed some sort of a cloth to cover his body, which caused the elder’s cheeks to instantly blaze with heat. Caught in a matter of life and death, he momentarily forgot that he just stood stark naked in front of the inhabitants of this palace. It wasn’t like many would have put a lot of thought into it during this ordeal but, still, that was really unbecoming for him. Thus, he graciously accepted a towel from one maid and tied it around his waistline in an attempt to cover his most intimate parts that Amaterasu - the goddess of universe - had gifted him and all her male children.

 

-And then yelped when Uruha suddenly scooped him into his arms.

 

“Oh my, I don’t even carry my most spoilt concubines like this,” Uruha snickered, but drew no other response from the priest beyond the bewildered stare.

 

“Your Majesty, your robes are wet-” A maid commented meekly, to which the emperor merely waved dismissively.

 

“I shall change in my chambers,” was his curt response before he took his leave, with Aoi still in his arms, the guards and the rest of his servants soon following suit.

 

Uruha took him to the emperor’s personal chambers, which Aoi was in fact very acquainted with since it was the room where he had first awoken in Lower Yamato. Once inside, the young emperor ordered the maids to dress both of them up in appropriate nightgowns before shooing everyone else out except for Aoi. Wordlessly, he lay on his bed, probably waiting for Aoi to join him, yet the older man remained rooted to the floor in the middle of the room, still trying to digest the situation that had unfolded in front of him.

 

“Do gods prefer to sleep standing or what?”

 

Aoi bit his lower lip in indignation before succumbing to exhaustion and then climbed on the bed from the opposite side. It was huge by any standards, the familiar softness soothing his tense muscles. He nevertheless laid at the edge of the bed, as far as possible from the amused emperor, with his back facing the other. This was the first time he ever shared a bed with someone else, and this new sensation befuddled his mind. And it wasn’t just someone else, but his supposed enemy who had cast the verdict of pending death upon him. Aoi, however, grudgingly admitted that after the earlier incident he indeed felt safer being around the southern emperor, this impression accurately resounding with Toshiya’s words. Maybe he should have heeded the healer’s advice with less suspicion.

 

Whilst the danger had already passed, his body still fell prey to aftershock quivers. From what exactly, he couldn’t fathom. Or maybe he _could_ , but wouldn’t admit it, even to himself.

 

“Where did all that bravado go?” Uruha chuckled, as he drew closer to Aoi, the bed dipping slightly at the newly added weight. “I thought you weren’t easily spooked since you were so ready to die for your people?”

 

It certainly wasn’t the first time Aoi had been caught in a situation that somehow put his life on the line. And as the High Priest of his nation, he was responsible for the well being of his kin. With authority came responsibilities since uneasy lay the head that wore the crown - figuratively, in his case of course since he would never sit on any throne in his lifetime. However, as a high-ranking member of the royal palace he was still responsible for his people. Therefore, the price for his head was nowhere near the suffering his people would have to endure if Uruha were to rein a tyrannical rule over them. Aoi used to think that he could _die_ for his nation if his actions granted them a long, fulfilling life because it was war and some sacrifices were required. However, he had never had anyone attempt on his life so _personally_. Yes, ‘personal’ was probably the most fitting word here - there was so much malice in that attempt, as if he was a threat to be disposed of rather a martyr that died for his country. And just like this, all his courage to offer his head for the sake of his nation just dissipated, leaving nothing but traces of a brave man he had once been.

 

Driven by distress, Aoi curled into the fetal position right in front of his enemy, his eyes absently staring into the distance as images of the gleaming blade persistently replayed in his mind. He nevertheless flinched slightly when a hand curled around his waist, pulling him flush against the emperor’s broad chest.

 

“You’re safe here,” Uruha murmured into his ear, hot breath flushed against his skin causing him to shudder. “As long as you obey me, of course.”

 

The emperor jerked Aoi’s chin towards him, causing the elder to strain his neck. Icy blue pools kept piercing him, as if trying to bend his will. Yet Uruha’s stare succeeded to neither subjugate him nor force him to abandon the idea of saving his people when an opportunity arises. Aoi might not openly go against the other’s whims because he wasn’t foolish enough to subject his kin to peril. Yet he would brand himself as a liar if he didn’t admit that the earlier attempt on his life didn’t make him think twice before disobeying Uruha. Thank heavens that the southern emperor wasn’t a brat like his younger brother in the end.

 

While he wholeheartedly hoped that Kai would agree to Uruha’s terms, the thought of fleeing did pass his mind every now and so. His previous attempts simply to communicate with his people had almost gone awry though due to his negligence. Aoi knew that even if they escaped, Uruha would probably punish their whole kingdom with violence, which was the last thing he wanted to bring forth on his nation. But did it necessarily mean complete subordination on his side? No, Aoi would only willfully follow the other’s commands if he deemed them to be reasonable enough to abide, because (his) experience showed that rulers didn’t always think straight, just to satiate their ever-growing ego.

 

Receiving no response, Uruha gently removed his fingers from Aoi’s chin, still without breaking the eye contact with the other. “If you have anything to say, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

 

 _Again with this taunting._ Exhausted from having to crane his neck just to maintain eye contact with the emperor, Aoi decided to turn his body around to face the younger man properly.

 

“Your Highness is still adamant about uncovering the secrets of Tang’s black powder, am I right?” Aoi suddenly spoke up in a soft voice, dismissing the emperor’s earlier statement. He was just trying to think of other matters besides the assassin and could always ponder about the incident later – in form of a nightmare, one way or another.

 

Uruha could only flex his brow in an inquisitive arch at the other’s question. “Why are you bringing this up all of the sudden?” He wasn’t entirely sure where this conversation was leading. Did this surprisingly obstinate priest still refuse to accept this task? Foolish man, what a foolish man he was. “But to answer your question, yes. I will not rest until I squeeze every single drop of information about that powder from the morokoshi.”

 

 _Of course you won’t_ , Aoi grasped the blanket harder. Gulping, he debated whether to let his mouth run loose and perhaps, lose his head before the predetermined time in this process.

 

“I still believe that it’s a very imprudent idea on your behalf.”

 

There, he said it. While relieved for finally being able to let his bottled up feelings out, he knew that insulting an emperor corresponded to death in most instances. The best-case scenario, Uruha would now think twice about saving Aoi if something were to happen again.

 

Nevertheless, Uruha’s tolerance for offence must have been pretty damn high because his grin only stretched wider at those bold words. “Did Kai also let you speak this way to him?”

 

Aoi slowly shook his head in response. Of course, Kai would never tolerate such insolence, but Aoi almost never had to resort to such crudeness since his childhood playmate had always seemed to be someone he could reason with. Well, with exception of his emperor’s last campaign that resulted in a fiasco on their end.

 

“Your Majesty, all emperors have a court for a reason,” Aoi gently reminded him, using vague, indirect statements this time instead. “All rulers need advisors on their side.”

 

“So was it _you_ who convinced Kai to attack my kingdom?” Uruha loomed over the priest’s face dangerously low, too close for the elder’s liking; so close that he could feel the other’s hot breath on his face. “Is that what are you trying to say?”

 

“No.” Aoi gulped at such intimacy, his grasp over blanket tightening. “He didn’t listen to me.”

 

“So I’m not the only one with such vice.” Uruha smirked triumphantly. “Now compare his ambitions and mine, and then tell me whose are more likely to have a damaging effect on the peace so beloved by you? You’re an intelligent man, I’m sure you can arrive at the right conclusion on your own.”

 

Aoi honestly couldn’t take his eyes off the man in front of him. Uruha truly lived up to his name – he was outrageously beautiful, with those defined features, alabaster skin and captivating blue eyes, and no one would disagree on that matter. Yet beauty was only skin deep, and there was more, so much more behind that comely face. And it was the disparaging haughtiness that radiated from this young emperor.

 

Sighing, Aoi guessed it was time for him to change his tactic.

 

“Does Your Majesty enjoy listening to folktales?” He asked the other innocuously. _What on earth is he talking about? What folktales, for god’s sake? How do they even relate to his current situation?_ -one would ask. To many it would seemto be a random thought, or perhaps not so much because Uruha had shown to be secretly impressed with Aoi’s cultured nature, so maybe this method of delivery was the only way to knock some sense into the overly ambitious emperor. Besides, storytelling proved to be an effective way to distract his mind from invasive thoughts of the earlier assassination attempt.

 

“I do. Why?” _\- such a drastic change in topic_ , that was what Uruha was supposed to say.

 

“Mm, I thought storytelling would ease my mind off that…incident.” And it wasn’t a complete lie, Aoi admitted to himself. He wasn’t simply trying to play victim to garner sympathy from Uruha. “Do you mind?”

 

He, nonetheless, sincerely hoped that Uruha didn’t sense the catch beforehand because otherwise, rejection was inevitable. However, relief coursed through his body upon seeing the emperor shrug his shoulders as if not suspecting any undertones behind that seemingly innocent request.

 

“Come to think about it, I’m not very well-versed in Yamato folktales.”

 

And Aoi didn’t feign his surprise because folktales or _fables_ were a part and parcel of every Yamato person growing up, regardless of their status: it didn’t matter if you were a royalty or a farmer. So it was eerily strange for someone like Uruha not to know them well. But Aoi didn’t want to spend his whole night speculating the reasons behind that turnout – he needed to accomplish something else tonight.

 

“Has Your Highness ever heard of the fable about ‘The Sparrow with a Slit Tongue’?”

 

“I can’t say I have.” The emperor looked genuinely interested, the initial frost in those blue eyes melting temporarily, replaced some sort of childlike curiosity. So he wasn’t lying after all. “Do tell.”

 

Aoi took in a deep breath, his eyes cast down at the other man’s chest instead. _I guess it’s now or never_. “Once upon a time there was a farmer who lived high in the mountains with his wife. He worked hard to fill their table every night but his wife was never happy with what they had.” He paused every so slightly to lift his gaze up at Uruha, who kept staring at him intently, and his voice almost faltered. “O-once the farmer found an injured sparrow and, filled with pity, took it home to nurse it back to health. Although he treated the sparrow like his own child, his wife had no intentions of looking after it. One day, the sparrow ate all their grain supplies due to hunger. As the farmer was away in the mountains, his wife decided to punish the sparrow, so she cut its tongue in fury.”

 

“A sparrow demolished the whole granary?” An amused smirk stretched across Uruha’s lips.

 

“It’s a _tale_ , Your Majesty,” Aoi reminded him tactfully.

 

“Go on.”

 

“She then tossed the bird away and told it to fly back to the mountains whence it came from. Upon returning home, the farmer was distraught by the loss of his ‘child’, so he ventured back to the mountains to find it. There, he found the sparrow dressed in fancy clothes in its bamboo inn- I repeat, it’s a _fable_ , Your Highness.”

 

Seeing the younger’s cheeky smile, Aoi sighed. Somehow he could feel that the emperor was just messing around with him. He nevertheless continued with his story.

 

“The sparrow, grateful to the farmer, actually prepared a feast for him and gave him a choice between two baskets that he could bring home, one larger than the other. Due to his old age, the farmer brought the smaller basket home. However, upon uncovering the contents of the basket back home, both he and his wife were shocked to find all the jewels in the world. Although overjoyed with newfound treasure, the wife’s avarice couldn’t be so easily satiated so this time she went to see the sparrow herself to bring back the bigger basket home. She, however, was warned not to open the basket before she gets home but stricken by both greed and curiosity, did the otherwise on her way back. On the contrary to what she had expected, the basket was full of deadly snakes. Shocked, she lost her footing and tumbled down the mountain to her death.”

 

“A pretty gruesome tale, hey?” Uruha looked pensive, now twirling one of Aoi’s blond strands in his fingers – a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by the elder, who wasn’t sure how to react to this. He was too anxious to see what the emperor’s reaction would be, and from his observations, the curve of Uruha’s smile staunchly remained on his lips, but it didn’t seem to reach his eyes. “Are you trying to say something, Aoi?”

 

_Please do not destroy your forefathers’ legacy for something menial like weapons. The Tangs are probably coming here with good intentions, so maybe you should use that opportunity to mend your nation’s crumbling relationship with them._

 

But these words remained unsaid because who was Aoi really to teach the emperor how to rule? And maybe he had ulterior motives himself since he didn’t want that weapon to be nowhere near his home. Now that Kai had made the first move, Uruha probably wouldn’t have any qualms inciting the violence. “No, Your Majesty. Like I’ve said before, it’s just a folktale I felt like sharing with you.”

 

The frost seemed to have re-appeared in those blue eyes with a judicious glint this time – Aoi didn’t have to contemplate long enough to realize that Uruha wasn’t really buying his excuse.

 

The southern emperor chuckled almost humourlessly. “Well, since you’ve done me a favour of entertaining me tonight, let me return the favour.” He propped his head on his palm. “Have you ever heard of Halfdan Long-leg before?”

 

A crease appeared between Aoi’s brows. As much as he tried to recruit his memory, nothing seemed to ring a bell to him. “No, not really.” He had a myriad of scrolls at his disposal yet none of them mentioned this name before.

 

“Ever heard of the Vikings?”

 

Oh.

 

“Yes.” Aoi nodded, still confused. “But I don’t know much about them.”

 

It was no wonder this name didn’t waft with familiarity to him. Some fortunate foreign travelers had told Aoi that the Vikings were Norse barbarians who lived extremely far away from Yamato, all the way in the West. Words spread around that they’ve only been around for a century or two, so a fairly new population. Also, the Vikings used runic inscriptions, which were difficult to decipher, and they didn’t participate in the Silk Road trade, so not much was known about them. Moreover, few travellers from his kingdom ever ventured that far.

 

“It is said that Halfdan Long-leg was a Viking warrior involved in the power struggle with his brothers, the sons of the great King Harald, the first king of Norway – a mighty state in the northern shores,” Uruha narrated almost dreamily, his voice changing its intonation when foreign names were spoken. “Disobeying his father’s orders, Halfdan and his brother killed his relative, Rognvald the Wise, to which Rognvald’s sons retaliated by performing the _blood eagle_ ritual on him.”

 

“Blood…eagle?” Aoi asked unsurely, something nasty settling in his stomach. Whatever it was, it certainly didn’t sound pleasant. Now he wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to know what that ritual entailed.

 

Seeing the elder’s discomfort, Uruha’s grin started to embrace its familiar sinister connotation.

 

“It’s a ritualized execution where a person is to be laid on their belly, their ribs severed with a sharp tool then lungs pulled through the opening to create ‘wings’.”

 

Blood instantly drained from Aoi’s face. There were definitely more torturous execution methods such as Tang’s notorious _lingchi 7_ – ‘death by a thousand cuts’ – but this fabled Viking-style execution was no less disturbing.

 

“So what’s the message of this tale?” Came an almost inaudible whisper.

 

“Tale?” Uruha feigned confusion, his eyes flickering with mischief. “This is no tale, Aoi. Halfdan Long-leg was a real historical figure, who died just a bit over a decade ago.”

 

Aoi didn’t really like where this was going. Or was he just paranoid as usual? “…Your Majesty’s point?”

 

A gulp seemed to have been stuck in his throat, almost choking him. Somehow Aoi knew that the whole back story behind this Halfdan fellow was actually irrelevant. Truth to be told, Uruha seemed like he really couldn’t care less about this whole story, as he was more morbidly fascinated with the blood eagle ritual instead. Something nagged at Aoi that maybe that was how the southern emperor was planning to execute the prisoners if Kai didn’t agree to his terms.

 

He shivered at the thought.

 

Sensing Aoi’s feeble quakes, Uruha pulled the blanket higher over him. “Spring has already come but you’re still cold.” Despite this seemingly affectionate gesture, his voice was laced with sarcasm as he cooed at the older man. “Do you have any other fables to preach before we end this delightful conversation and finally succumb to sleep?”

 

“No,” Aoi muttered, trying not to be intimidated by this. So far, their deaths weren’t confirmed because Kai was yet to give the southerners his answer - until then, they were safe. Definitely, because the emperor had given his words. “But I have a question for Your Majesty.”

 

“It’d better your last one because I’m rather spent from today’s events.” Who knew it could be so draining doing mental math with this stubborn priest. It was getting rather late and Uruha still needed to pay a certain somebody a visit. Fortunately, he only received an affirmative nod to his demand. “Go on.”

 

“What happened to your hair?”

 

Aoi didn’t even think twice before blurting this out. To hell with the assassins, to hell with this task he had been given by Uruha, to hell with him trying to teach the arrogant ruler. The younger one’s long midnight hair was the only reminder to him that the stunning lady of his dreams had indeed existed. But now, flaunting with that short hair of his, the dream seemed to have vanished into the thin air. Only those blue eyes remained a constant in this whole ordeal. It made no sense for Uruha to cut his beautiful hair – the job looked slightly sloppy as well, with those two long fringes framing both sides of his face. And if it wasn’t him, who could have possibly done that? It wasn’t just nostalgic sentiments that prompted him to ask that. From what it appeared, no living being could ever leave a scratch on Uruha, so how could someone break through the emperor’s ultimate defense? Was he not as invincible as he portrayed himself?

 

How could he ensure protection of the north men in such state?

 

This had been bothering his mind for quite some time now but he never knew when it was the appropriate time to ask Uruha about it. Right now, it seemed most apt than ever. Stripped off formalities, this rather uncomfortable intimacy was starting to instill some bizarre confidence within Aoi.

 

“Out of all questions you could have possibly asked me, you’ve wasted the last one on this? Not who possibly tried to assassinate you?”

 

“I know I have many enemies in this palace.” Aoi smiled forlornly. “But I cannot fathom who could have gone past your ultimate defense.”

 

That seemed to have struck a chord within the emperor, who quickly brushed his grim predisposition with a sly smile.

 

“I guess you should thank that masked general of yours for that.”

 

 ***

 

“Don’t think that I don’t know that it was your doing, Ruki.”

 

The young duke merely stared at Uruha defensively. Despite being fully aware of the fact that his older brother was far from stupid, the little one still didn’t expect to see the emperor in his personal chambers so late at night. The palace was constantly full of whispers, so obviously Ruki had been informed that the northern priest was spending the night in his brother’s room. Normally, the duke’s respect for his imperial brother was limitless, and it wasn’t simply because Uruha was his emperor. Ruki would rarely question the other’s decisions, placing complete trust in him. However, the emperor’s rather lax attitude towards his current prisoners simply baffled the younger man…Particularly, that blasted priest who clearly posed as a threat to their kingdom.

 

“Congratulations though, you’ve managed to scare him enough to mitigate that attitude of his.”

 

“So he ends up warming up your bed, doesn’t he, Imperial Brother?” Ruki retaliated to the emperor’s accusations in a rather acrimonious tone. “What happened to your favourite concubine?”

 

“You only have yourself to blame.” Uruha remarked vaguely, ignoring the snarky comment. “And thanks to you I had to humour him for an hour until he fell asleep. All while I was _dying_ to ask my foolish little brother a few questions regarding the incident.”

 

“I only did what I had to do, Uruha-nii-sama. That priest made you look like a fool!”

 

“ _Ruki_.”

 

There was no hint of warmth left his brother’s eyes, causing the duke to cower internally. He had probably pushed too far with that statement, but it was already too late to retract it. Still, he had to apologize at the very least because Ruki couldn’t imagine a life where his own brother hated him. Or worse, condemn him to death for such unforgivable outburst. “P-pardon me for my insolence, Your Majesty.”

 

“I’ll forgive you this time due to our blood relation,” Uruha replied coolly, briefly closing his eyes. “But don’t forget that at the end of the day, I am still your _emperor._ ” With fingers clasped together, his hands rested on the chest as he tried to calmly read the situation. “So this assassination attempt. Was it the _onmyoji_ ’s8 idea?”

 

“I would not doubt Kyo-san’s predictions,” Ruki defended his stance. “He’s never been wrong before.”

 

“And I’m the least superstitious person you’ve ever known so far.”

 

 _Yet you heed his words without fail before every conquest._ The duke pointed out. In his mind, of course, so as not to aggravate his brother further. “You know that Kyo-san only wants our kingdom to prosper. And he deems that priest to be a major hindrance.”

 

But to the southern emperor, all this seemed like child’s play albeit a political one. And it had everything to do with your authority rather than the prosperity of the nation.

 

“Are you sure it’s not his own position that he’s worried about? Look, I don’t think they are even the same type of priest. Officially, Aoi is a _kannushi 9_ – a direct servant of god - and his job entails different aspects than that of an onmyoji who dabbles in the occult.”

 

“Yeah, but we also have a kannushi leading the royal shrine, yet Kyo-san has never felt threatened by him before.”

 

_Because our High Priest pales in comparison to Aoi in terms of shrewdness and intelligence._

 

“That’s because Aoi supposedly foretells things, and that has always been a domain of those who practice onmyodo,” Uruha conjectured instead. It would be rather unbecoming for him to exalt a prisoner of war.

 

“Exactly.” However, Uruha’s explanation seemed to only ground Ruki’s convictions, deeper pertaining this matter. “He called upon the rain, which our priests could not do for _months_. Don’t you feel alarmed that he can bring forth some calamity upon our nation? Forgive my words, Imperial Brother, but I really can’t understand your preferential treatment towards this priest.Therefore, I beg you to heed my words: this man will not bring any benefit to our kingdom, only despair.”

 

“I need him until the day comes.” Uruha rubbed his temples in frustration. Honestly, he was growing tired of this nonsense. It was late after all, and he had to attend the morning court tomorrow. “Until then, no harm shall come to him. If not, I will take action, and any blood relations will mean absolutely _nothing_ to me then.”

 

Upon hearing this response, Ruki could only wallow in bitterness.

 

“What on earth did this priest do to enarmour you this much, Imperial Brother?”

 

“Enarmour?”

 

This was definitely preposterous, Uruha couldn’t help but scoff lightly at such naiveté as he ruffled his brother’s already unruly hair.

 

“My foolish little brother, you still have so much to learn.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta: [the_duck_bride](http://archiveofourown.org/users/the_duck_bride/pseuds/the_duck_bride)
> 
> some trivia:  
> 1) Fujiwara clan was a real clan, existing during Heian period, and its clansmen did marry off their daughters to emperors  
> 2) Washu = Yamato province at the time//present day Nara prefecture 
> 
> ALSO
> 
> The ever-amazing [mittilla](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mittilla) made fanart to this fic and I'm still crying over it because it's so beautiful and 10000x better than the fic itself. Check it out below!!! Also, check her other amazing works on her [twitter](https://twitter.com/mittilla)
> 
>  
> 
> [](http://s201.photobucket.com/user/mittilla/media/cover%20merged%20shade%20edit%202_zpsukmpiy5b.png.html)  
> 

The Fujiwara clan was a prominent house, its influence ubiquitous in both the North and the South. The source of the clan’s power lay in their custom of marrying off their daughters into other great houses, thereby consolidating their influence.

 

The clan’s ancestral home was located in Washu, a province in Lower Yamato, thus for many generations the clan head’s daughter was bestowed to the southern emperor as a concubine, with a hope that she’d become his chief wife one day. However, to extend their power beyond the south, a Fujiwara girl was also given to the northern emperor, thus often making her the most important figure in his harem. Later, it became natural for daughters from lesser branch families to wed men of lesser authority such as ministers and generals, developing a strong support network for the clan’s power to disperse.

 

But regardless of their final destination, many Fujiwara girls remained as proud southerners.

 

Reita’s mother hailed from a small branch family of the Fujiwara clan but didn’t have any less pride than the main house. Married off to Reita’s father – a prominent northern general - at the tender age of sixteen, she nevertheless retained her southern habits, which weren’t merely limited to her accent or dialect. In fact, her abodes were always decorated in the southern style while she preferred southern foods and would only tell Reita lore of southern origins before his bedtime.

 

The young general spent his childhood in his mother’s household until he had been sent off to the main house at the age of thirteen to be trained into his father’s worthy successor and continue the old man’s military legacy. Suddenly, things around him had lost their southern charm and become replaced by the unfamiliar northern aloofness; with his father being the most profound embodiment of the northern cold, juxtaposing his mother’s southern warmth. Reita had known, however, that he had no longer been a child and had to adapt to the new environment; irrespective of his wishes. Their patrilineal customs determined him a northerner, and he was breathing the air on the northern soil; after all, he was born and bred for that specific goal – to protect the interest of the North.

 

Therefore, assuming the role of a southern recruit in order to infiltrate Lower Yamato’s imperial barracks had become his next mission. Reita’s goal was to retrieve his men, and most importantly, Aoi who was being kept as a hostage in the palace. Despite his battle injuries, he had immediately started working on the rescue plan with the war council; the role of the spy had been given to him, the only one with southern roots. Falsifying documents had been easier than he had expected but keeping up the disguise was another issue. Reita thanked all those years he had spent in his mother’s house, absorbing all her southern habits and dialect but that, of course, wasn’t sufficient to transform him into a full-fledged southerner since he was a half-caste, a somewhat poor imitation at best.

 

He had exactly two more weeks to get his brethren out of that hellhole because Kai still refused to accept defeat. And if the treaty wasn’t signed, who knew what Uruha had in store for them, but they would ponder over consequences later once their people were taken back to safety of their homeland.

 

Reita’s first week in Lower Yamato had been filled with apprehension as he had spent those seven days worrying over Aoi and the other men, imagining the possible torture they had undergone. He, however, had no access to the cells due to him being a mere recruit, so there had been no way for him to check up on them. Meanwhile, he had tried to assimilate with the rest of the troops; training and sharing bed and meals with them. So far, no one had suspected anything yet since no one really knew how his face looked like thanks to his leather mask that he religiously wore on the battlefield. He had also concealed his identity pretty decently by adopting his mother’s accent, and the result had showed that he wasn’t too far off from the southern villagers who lived near the Japanese Alps; the ones the northern army had been supposed to invade and whose village they had meant to rampage a week ago.

 

But enough of that.

 

He had sighed in relief when, several days after, Major General Kaoru and his men had been released from the prison and transferred to the barracks instead. Although everyone else besides Aoi was now in the same vicinity, Reita still couldn’t get hold of them since they stayed in the most heavily guarded part of the barracks, isolated from the rest of the soldiers. Approaching Aoi was another ordeal altogether since he was permanently ‘detained’ in the palace, often within arm’s reach of Uruha, for whom the current Reita clearly wasn’t an opponent.

 

However, Uruha wasn’t _that_ untouchable since Reita had somehow broken through his defence by managing to chop off his ponytail when the emperor had been too distracted with Aoi, but nevertheless that bastard had left relatively unscathed while Reita himself had escaped by the skin of his teeth. Also, if he were to ambush the emperor in the palace, he’d still be outnumbered, and who knew what Uruha would do to Aoi afterwards…Would he execute him? Or torture him first then leave him outside to bleed out, for crows to flock around his lifeless body and feast on his decaying flesh?

 

Reita shuddered at those grisly thoughts and felt quite sure that he’d probably commit suicide if it were to happen on his misstep. Aoi had already suffered greatly when he had decided to shield the general with his unarmoured body, the deep gash on his back had probably already developed into a nasty looking scar. Not only had Aoi protected Reita but also got caught due to the younger man’s incompetency. Unacceptable. He couldn’t bear the notion of Aoi getting hurt any more than this.

 

His heart had already sunk into his stomach when the rumours of the assassination attempt had reached his ears, but praised the lord when it had been confirmed that Aoi was definitely safe and sound.

 

And the time went by, so he had to hurry and find a way to infiltrate the palace as soon as possible so that he can recover Aoi. For a ‘recruit’ like him, the most obvious way would be becoming a guard in the palace. From what he had heard, the criteria for this position weren’t all that demanding, strength was all that was required.

 

“They are looking for a new guard,” the leader of Reita’s squad informed them as they all gathered around the dinner table.

 

“I’d do anything to step into the palace,” the one next to him said dreamily, swirling his half-eaten porridge with a spoon. “Must be nice staying in such a nice place, being around those lovely maids…Oh, and the beautiful concubines!” Came an exclamation, the boy’s eyes shining with sheer enthusiasm. “I’ve heard that the Fujiwara girl’s beauty is literally beyond the realms of the gods.”

 

“Well, if you win the match, you’ll be there to ogle at those fine women in no time.”

 

“Aren’t you going to participate, Akira?” The boy next to Reita suddenly addressed his question to him, causing him to jolt – it had already been a week, but he was yet to get used to his newly assumed name, causing him to falter in his replies every now and then.

 

“What match?” He asked in a hasty manner, trying to compensate for that seemingly suspicious reaction. However, the general was fortunate that these boys were too simpleminded to even suspect the person sitting next to them of being a spy.

 

“Ah, you’re new here, so I guess you haven’t heard about it.” The squad leader concluded knowingly. “His Majesty regularly holds sparring matches, which determine whether you are good enough to fill up a certain position. This time, he needs the person to guard that northern priest.”

 

“I don’t even get why we need to keep the enemy alive.” The guy next to him scoffed. “They all should have been executed right away.” These words definitely rubbed Reita the wrong way, but he knew that he had to stay _absolutely_ calm about it, so instead of bashing the boy who had blurted such heresy out, he merely clenched his fists underneath the table. _Endure._

 

“You don’t have a knack for politics, do you?” One of the boys looked at the other contemptuously. “They are valuable prisoners, otherwise His Majesty won’t be able to extort tribute from the northerners for the next ten years.”

  
“Yeah,” the earlier boy agreed sheepishly. “I guess either way, we still have an upper hand in this situation. Serves them right.”

 

_Endure._

 

Reita had to a task to accomplish.

 

_Endure._

 

“Regarding the contest,” he decided to revert the topic to the initial one, “if you win, will you only guard the hostage’s chambers, or will you actually have to act as his personal bodyguard?” He silently hoped for the second option.

 

“Ah.” The squad leader shook his head with some uncertainty. “I only know that the prisoner is staying with His Majesty for now until they sort things out, so it’s not clear how exactly the champion is going to carry out his duty.”

 

Well, this wasn’t an entirely pleasant piece of news. How was Reita going to approach the man if Aoi was huddled in the emperor’s room a majority of the time? But Uruha wouldn’t be a ruler of a nation if he hung around his private quarters all day, so maybe Reita could try interacting with Aoi while the other was away on duty.

 

“You’re going to participate, right?” The soldier next to him piped up. “You’re so good at combat, where did you learn all that?”

 

 _Well, I once led an army…_ That line crossed his mind, but he remained silent about it and lied instead, “I lived near the northern border, so had to fend off mountain bandits trying to loot our village more often than not.”

 

“Fair enough.” It was the same boy who asked him before that offered him a sympathetic smile. “You really are quite _something_ though, even more experienced soldiers are pretty intimidated by your moves during training.”

 

Damn it, maybe he should conceal his abilities a tad more next time otherwise he’d blow his cover sooner than he meant to. At the same time, fighting came off as something natural to him, so repressing himself on purpose was not an easy task.

 

He nevertheless thanked the other for the praise, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could.

 

“But be careful,” the squad leader suddenly grinned wickedly, a mischievous glint flickering in his eyes, “try not to catch the duke’s interest. His Highness Ruki really enjoys attending these sparring contests and sometimes takes the men he likes into his personal guards.” The rest of the soldiers mirrored his grin at that statement.

 

Not following what was the catch, Reita was genuinely confused.

 

“Is there a problem with that?”

 

“Well,” one of them replied, smiling cheekily, “rumours say that no one has ever seen him visit the harem, not even once.” And then snickered. “Seems like he really prefers men to women as companions.”

 

“What insolence, it’s His Majesty’s younger brother you’re talking about.” This man had no shame, Reita thought, shaking his head in disappointment. Loyal to his own ruler, he deemed it to be sacrilege to spew nonsense like this about any member of the royal house. “Anyway, when is the match going to be held?”

 

“In three days or so.”

 

Great. Now he had less than two weeks to rescue Aoi and the rest of their men before their heads went rolling.

***

His opponents were in fact seasoned warriors, so he was forced to put some effort in order to take the title of the champion for himself. Also, Reita had long stopped depending on hand-to-hand combat since long-range weapons usually gave him a significant advantage on the battlefield compared to unarmed combat. However, his skills weren’t too rusty, so he managed to knock his opponents down in the end, to everyone’s awe. _Fresh meat_ , that was how some of them called him, and he’d allow them to take the liberty of addressing him that way as long as his real identity managed to stay concealed.

 

Just as he had been warned, the duke attended the match, lounging in the shade of a huge umbrella and wearing a loose kimono of rather gaudy colours that surely made him stand out from the crowd. As if an important persona like him wasn’t already out of place, surrounded by such lowly soldiers, and what was more, his delicate, smaller frame got lost in the sea of sweaty, sturdy bodies. The image seemed almost perverted, to the point Reita had to chastise himself for such indecency.

 

All that he hoped for was for the smug-looking brat to find him unattractive enough to let him go because Reita had infiltrated the enemy’s territory to rescue his people rather than warm the duke’s bed on lonely nights if what the soldiers speculated was true. Shivers ran down his spine at such a vulgar thought.

 

However, once the general found the brat’s eyes raking over his form with overt interest, he knew that he was now in a bind.

 

“What is your name?” The duke approached him when the contest was officially finished. To Reita, this definitely wasn’t a good sign and only consolidated his fears. He, however, bowed customarily so as not to arouse suspicion – the person in front of him was the emperor’s brother after all.

 

“Your servant’s name is Akira.”

 

“ _Akira_ ,” he repeated the name with a purr as if tasting it on the tip of his tongue. “And whence came such a splendid warrior?” The duke asked in a sweet voice through his half-lidded eyes, almost comparable to a prostitute calling her customer into her bed. Although a man of his calibre only frequented brothels once in a blue moon, Reita was no stranger to these establishments and their workers, so he thoroughly understood the duke’s intentions. The boy clearly wanted him.

 

Not good, not good at all.

 

“One remote village near the Alps, Your Grace.”

 

“Hmm that’s pretty far north, isn’t it?” Ruki placed the tip of his index finger to his lips, as if deliberating the newly gained information, only to nip on it. The general nearly chocked on his saliva at such blatant attempt of seducing him. “And how long have you been here, in the barracks?”

 

“A bit more than a week.”

 

“You like it here in the capital? Must be better than back at your godforsaken village.”

 

Reita nodded curtly. “Very much, Your Grace.”

 

“Good.” A smile of approval broke out on Ruki’s lips. “And you’ll like it here even better after becoming my personal guard.”

 

“But Ruki-sama,” the referee objected quickly, not without keeping his head down low so as to show respect. “His Majesty has specifically stated that this man was to be brought to the emperor instead.”

 

Huffing, Ruki swatted his hand dismissively. “Send the runner-up over to His Majesty instead.”

 

“But-”

 

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” He snapped at the referee, causing the poor man to drop on his knees and kowtow hastily.

 

“Please forgive me for my impudence, Your Highness.” The man, however, was resolute about following the emperor’s order. “But His Majesty has specifically said that if Ruki-sama were to take fancy in the champion this time, then you would have to discuss it with the emperor himself.”

 

Despite his pompous attitude, perhaps the brat still held his brother’s opinion in high regard because right after his conversation with the referee, the duke headed straight to the emperor’s location, with Reita following suit. They left the territory of Outer Court before crossing a massive flower garden that connected the outskirts with the Inner Court, where the actual palace was located. Once inside, a maid passing by in the corridor let them know that Uruha was currently having afternoon tea in the reception room with the northern priest, a fact that made Reita’s heart thump madly in his ribcage.

 

He was so close to his target, but this wasn’t the way he had hoped to approach Aoi, since a private setting was required for their reunion to go smoothly. However, Reita knew that his options were scarce, so would take any opportunity to get in touch with Aoi - he just hoped that the priest wouldn’t cause a scene upon seeing him and blow his cover as a result.

 

Reita had no time to ogle at his opulent surroundings, which clearly surpassed Kai’s palace in the North, though he was well aware of the _source_ of these riches. He, however, tried to vacate his mind again to focus on the way he should approach the priest instead. They were getting closer to their destination, and the general would be a liar if he claimed that his insides weren’t churning from anxiety.

 

Turning up in front of the gates with falsified documents was a breeze compared to the trial he was about to go through.

 

***

“Imperial brother.”

 

Aoi nearly dropped his teacup upon recognizing the person he least expected to see right now as General Reita appearing in the doorway behind the obnoxious duke, who was shooting daggers at him as usual. Despite having unparalleled composure, he still couldn’t help but let out a tiny gasp, which didn’t go unnoticed by Uruha who was scrutinizing his reaction with a hint of curiosity.

 

“Is there something wrong?” The emperor asked the other man gently while his shrewd blue eyes tried to decipher Aoi’s body language. Something was clearly amiss, but he couldn’t pinpoint what.

 

Yet.

 

“N-no, Your Majesty,” mumbled the priest as he pulled himself together, clearly still in shock at the scene unfolded in front of him.

 

How the hell did Reita end up here? Was he captured as well? However, to make an entrance like this, seeing that he wasn’t bound by shackles or at least surrounded by guards, it didn’t seem to Aoi that the general was brought here as a prisoner. Unless…Unless Reita had switched sides, but this notion was so ridiculous that Aoi wouldn’t even want to entertain it. Also, judging his attire, which Aoi had seen southern soldiers wear at the barracks, the only proposition left was that the general had infiltrated the palace and was acting as a spy, as a part of the rescue mission.

 

“So this is our champion this month, huh,” Uruha said thoughtfully, briefly guiding his eyes towards the newcomer before they assumed their initial position on Aoi’s face. “Handsome, isn’t he? So much that our guest over here must have taken a liking to him,” he ended his sentence with a smirk.

 

Frankly, the thought of Aoi being interested in his childhood playmate had never occurred to him before, although he did find Reita rather attractive. If his memory didn’t fail him, this was the first time in many years he’d seen the general without his armour, and Reita had definitely developed in many places, allowing him to showcase his well-defined muscles; not used to seeing so much skin on his friend, Aoi couldn’t help but permit a faint blush to creep up his cheeks, drawing an amused chuckle from the emperor. Nevertheless, his reaction came advantageous in this situation, as it was distracting enough to dispel any suspicion that his earlier reaction to Reita’s sudden arrival could have arisen. And him blushing bashfully had proven to be a good divergence since Uruha finally averted his gaze from him, now giving his undivided attention to the other two men.

 

“Imperial brother.” Ruki was quickly becoming frustrated from his brother’s lack of attention to him, from the way he was more interested in studying that goddamned priest’s reaction. “I’ve come here to you with a small request.”

 

Uruha settled more comfortably into his cushioned chair, propping himself up with his elbow on the armrest. “And what would it be, my dear younger brother?”

 

“I’d like to ask you to give me this champion.”

 

While Aoi was trying to compute the situation, which only became increasingly confusing to him with each passing second, Reita was praying to the gods for the emperor to deny his brother’s request.

 

“The purpose of this match was to find the strongest soldier who will then act as our guest’s bodyguard, didn’t I already tell the referee to relay this message to _everyone_?” It was a rhetorical question with an obvious answer to it, and if Ruki was compliant, he’d already stopped pushing for it at this point. But Ruki wouldn’t be Ruki if he didn’t keep pushing for what he wanted.

 

“Uruha-nii-sama, please let me have him,” the duke cooed with that velvet voice of his and crossed the distance between him and Uruha before kneeling down by the armrest and nuzzling the emperor’s arm like a cat, stripped of all pride. “I’ll do anything you want.”

 

Reita sincerely hoped that the powerful man like Uruha who had myriads of conquests behind him wouldn’t fall for a cheap and shameless display like this.

 

“Will you stop meddling in my affairs?”

 

A sullen expression instantly took over Ruki’s initially joyful one, as he tried to digest his brother’s condition.

 

“Ruki?”

 

“…I will,” he finally replied, albeit reluctantly, now glaring at Aoi for some reason the priest could not understand. Well, it wasn’t like the duke ever treated him with any warmth in the first place.

 

“Really?” The emperor, however, didn’t seem completely convinced.  

 

“I swear by my title of the duke of these southern lands.”

 

A gentle smile formed on Uruha’s lips, as he threaded his fingers through his brother’s unruly hair. “You can have him then.”

 

Ruki nearly purred at his brother’s tender touch and then placed a chaste kiss on his hand once the emperor stopped caressing his head. Meanwhile, Reita felt like he’d just been slapped in his face.

 

“Oh my,” Uruha feigned a gasp upon catching the general’s disturbed expression. “Did you want to serve this beauty beside me instead? Was it love at first sight?”

 

Concerned that his brother might change his mind, Ruki clutched the other’s hand, his eyebrows creasing into a frown. “Imperial brother, but you’ve already given him to me.”

 

“I almost feel guilty separating these two lovebirds,” yet there was no hint of remorse in Uruha’s voice, as he retracted his hand and left the comfort of his chair to come up to Reita who fought an urge to gulp nervously, trying his best to maintain a collected expression. He still couldn’t believe that the slender and feminine-looking man in front of him was actually the head of this militant state; that this was the masked horseman who had nearly slain the general if it hadn’t been for Aoi shielding him on time. “What do you say about it, hmm, what was it again?”

 

“It’s Akira, Your Majesty,” he replied with a bow.

  
“Then, Akira,” Uruha pointed his tessen at Aoi first, “would you like to go with my friend over there or-,” he flicked it towards Ruki. “-with my foolish little brother?”

 

Reita seemed to be at a total loss.

 

“Come on, be honest with me,” the emperor smiled at him encouragingly, but it only prompted the other to wonder what was the catch.

 

“Hey-” Ruki was about to interject.

 

“Silence, I’m asking the gentleman over here.”

 

The younger one had no choice but to shut up, pouting angrily.

 

“So, what will your answer be?” Uruha looked at him expectantly.

 

Seeking help from Aoi was futile since the priest looked as lost as him while the brat was boring a hole in his forehead with his glower.

 

Reita licked his chapped lips and swallowed hard.

 

“I…I’ll serve whoever you’ll tell me to serve.”

 

“An exemplary answer.” The emperor looked genuinely impressed, his smile only stretching wider, and patted him on the shoulder. Despite his delicate-looking hands, Uruha’s touch felt heavy, nearly bruising his skin.

 

Reita mentally rewarded himself for being able to guess the other’s intentions correctly; the bastard was clearly testing him. However, just as he was about to relax, Uruha pointed his tessen towards the man’s chest, the sharp steel plates scraping the flimsy fabric hard enough for his skin to feel it.  

 

“Also, you have an interesting accent,” the emperor remarked, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly, “as if you’ve been living in the North your whole life.”

 

This definitely made Reita’s blood run cold. Had Uruha already seen through his disguise? Impossible. He considered his accent to be pretty believable since no one had pointed it out to him yet. However, he had confronted the emperor head on once, so what if Uruha had actually been able to recognize his enemy’s voice?

 

But before he could retort, the sovereign called for his brother’s attention, “He’s all yours.” To say that Reita was disappointed would be an understatement but he nevertheless accepted his fate. Meanwhile, Ruki’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement at the fact that Uruha wasn’t planning to take his boytoy away. “Also, my guest and I have some business to attend to, so we shall be taking our leave now.”

 

“You’ve been very generous to me, Imperial brother.” Ruki bowed in gratitude then with a flick of his wrist, indicated to Reita to follow him out. They had their own fun waiting for them.

 

As the northerners passed each other, the general gave Aoi an acknowledging nod. However, the priest had managed to decipher the gesture as a promise that they were going to see each other again soon.

***

As to unwind before his debut in Lower Yamato’s imperial court when the Tang ambassador arrived, the emperor invited Aoi to go for a stroll downtown.

 

The priest was genuinely taken aback by that offer since he was Uruha’s prisoner, so there was no valid reason for the other man to be entertaining him. Moreover, it was far from appropriate for a ruler of the nation to be frolicking around the commoners while donned in female clothes; at least, not in Upper Yamato. If someone were to catch Kai pulling an antic like this, his authority would plummet to the point of no return.

 

And if Aoi thought about this, he wouldn’t be able to recall when was the last time Kai mingled with the common folk, in general. While Uruha wouldn’t interact with his people as the emperor _directly_ , preferring to do this via his camouflage of a traveller named ‘Kouyou’, the fact that he _did_ it anyway truly baffled the priest.

 

Today, Uruha was wearing a long wig, light make up and a simple black yukata to accentuate his alabaster skin that almost looked transparent under the faint light of the setting sun. Speaking of wigs, Aoi received one as well, to conceal his rather eye-catching blond hair that was synonymous with a certain northern priest, currently the enemy of the southern kingdom. Aoi might not have a penchant for sporting fake hair but considered this idea to be pragmatic enough; because the last thing he needed right now was to attract unnecessary attention from civilians, who probably hated him enough to stone him to death after the anti-northern sentiment had washed through Lower Yamato. A cover-up would let him roam outside the palace and discover the city more safely, for which he was grateful to Uruha.

 

The opulence of the palace and its immediate surroundings didn’t extend to the actual town. That was sort of self-explanatory though since conquerors tended to keep all the treasure to themselves instead of distributing it to the rest of their nation. However, it didn’t mean that the southerners were downright poor while the emperor and his warmongering generals flaunted with the riches. Not at all, which came as a pleasant surprise to Aoi; since wealth inequality was usually more of an issue in militarist regimes, where national assets were pooled into the expansion of armed forces used to terrorize others instead of the greater good of the common folk. However, that was all theory since Aoi caught no sight of slums anywhere with streets looking nearly pristine, houses being far from shabby; they were just uniform in architecture, with little to no colour.

 

The downtown was also jam-packed with people from all walks of life, quite similar to how it was back home in the North. Some even approached ‘Kouyou’ to greet her, oblivious to the fact that it was their _emperor_ they were talking to.

 

Honestly, people on the streets were looking too jovial to be oppressed by the ‘dictator’. It couldn’t be that the subjects of such a belligerent state could be so content with their lives? Perhaps, regardless of his destructive foreign policy, Uruha still appreciated the domestic situation; for example, enough to stress on women’s rights, allowing them to pursue bureaucratic positions, something that even a self-proclaimed progressive state like Upper Yamato hadn’t accomplished, unfortunately.

 

The emperor himself seemed to be quite familiar with this part of the town as he scurried through narrow alleys like a rat until they set foot on one particular cobblestone path that led them to the capital’s central bazaar. As they drew closer, boisterous voices increased in volume, while the scenery in front of him no longer followed one colour gradient. There, merchants put their colourful goods out on display as customers shamelessly bargained for discounted price; some vendors were more aggressive than others, with one of them boldly grabbing Aoi’s arm to catch his attention, before Uruha could politely decline her offer as he firmly removed her pesky hand off the petrified priest. As they pushed through the crowd towards the opposite end of the marketplace, a group of little boys tried to pickpocket Uruha; however, he caught them red-handed but instead of chiding them, gave them a copper coin each after telling them to go help their parents out instead. Aoi doubted this was enough to curb the boys’ habit to steal, yet that little interaction between Uruha and those children managed to somewhat change his perception of the emperor.

 

The kind and gentle ‘Kouyou’ seemed to be the perfect foil for the arrogant and calculating Uruha, who found it amusing to put others into nerve-racking situations, just how he had done to Reita earlier this afternoon. Speaking of the general, the thought of finally leaving the palace must have exhilarated Aoi so much, to the point that Reita’s unexpected appearance had slipped his mind.

 

So Kai had finally decided to take action but instead of signing the treaty, he had sent one of his best generals to rescue Aoi and the others. Because that had to be it, otherwise what would Reita be doing here in the South? Aoi couldn’t imagine how much effort the general had to put to infiltrate this place so smoothly.

 

This turn of events certainly excited him and filled his heart with hope he had once (momentarily) lost, even if he knew it was a foolish idea since the repercussions of them breaking out of their confinement were severe. On the other hand, he wasn’t going to lounge around in Lower Yamato for another ten years or in worst-case scenario, lose his head if Kai wasn’t going to accept defeat. However, a loyalist he was, Aoi didn’t dare to feel disappointed with Kai if the second scenario would become reality because who was he to question his emperor’s decisions? While Aoi would occasionally give the other suggestions, he had never openly defied him; the time he’d been close to doing so, Kai hadn’t been too considerate of his feelings in return. Yet there was no point in dwelling on the past - it was time for him to focus on the present. Aoi just hoped that whatever plan his emperor had, it would involve the least number of casualties this time.

 

“Here.” Uruha suddenly nudged him in the shoulder, causing him to snap out of his musings. _Right_ , they were crossing the bazaar before swerving into the lane where all the eateries opened their business for dinner at this time. The emperor chose a little but particularly busy one, brimming with drunk peasants and their no less drunken chatter. While Aoi didn’t handle noisy places particularly well, there was something heart-warming about this place from the way everyone happily clustered together.

 

Despite his title of the emperor, Uruha took to this atmosphere like a duck to water. Similar to how it was on the streets, the ‘Kouyou’ persona seemed to be quite popular in this establishment as well.

 

“My lady.” One of the men, who happened to be the diner’s owner, pushed through the crowd of ‘Kouyou’s’ admirers to kiss ‘her’ hand. “When did you come back to the capital?”

 

“Two weeks ago,” Uruha replied in a thin, velvet voice that he had used on Aoi back in the hot springs; with the truth revealed now, the priest had to bite back a chortle. He, however, knew better than to laugh at this undoubtedly perfect façade and silently took the seat next to the emperor instead.

 

Not even in his wildest dreams, had he imagined a sovereign frequenting commoners’ hotspots and interact with them this way, without an air of superiority, as if he truly enjoyed their company. Reluctantly, Aoi had to admit that he respected this trait in Uruha, which gave the typically haughty emperor a streak of humility. He could only wish for Kai to mingle with his people to this extent. Yes, his childhood friend was a kind and caring ruler, but still kept his distance from everyone else, except for Aoi who had grown up with him. Thus, there was something refreshing in the way Uruha laughed together with everyone here, and for someone who put common folk above anything else, Aoi couldn’t help but somewhat admire the southern emperor despite his past transgressions.

 

“And the gentleman beside you is…?” The owner cast an interested glance at Aoi, who suddenly stopped fidgeting when everyone’s attention turned to him.

 

“He’s my companion who hails from a village near the Alps,” Uruha explained, giving Aoi a light pat on his shoulder. “Still new to the capital, so please go easy on him.”

 

“Right.” The man still insisted on shaking his hand even after Aoi had nodded his head in greeting. “I know you’ve travelled a lot on your own, my lady, but I will feel more rest assured if a fine man like him accompanies you back to your house later tonight.”

 

What an ironic statement, Aoi huffed under his breath; because this ‘lady’ beside him definitely didn’t need his protection – ‘she’ was capable of breaking anyone’s neck on ‘her’ own if necessary.

 

“Speaking of the Alps, those damn northerners must have given you quite a scare back then, eh?” The owner laughed, with no hint of malice in his words.

 

Aoi felt the emperor’s eyes on him.

 

“Everything turned out fine thanks to _our_ emperor who was there to stop the invaders,” he replied calmly and visibly relaxed when the familiar smirk found its way to Uruha’s lips. As much as he repulsed himself for saying such unpatriotic words, he _did_ believe that blinded by greed, Kai had still been in the wrong for destroying the peace between two nations. Uruha had acted in a way it was expected of rulers, who were supposed to protect their nation and its interests, so surely Aoi didn’t blame him since the northerners had incited his wrath first.

 

“And yes, your trip, Lady Kouyou!” The owner lit up as if suddenly remembering something important. “How was Upper Yamato? And did you get back safely in the end when those bastards decided to attack our border?”

 

“Now-now, as you can see all my limbs are still intact, so let’s not be hostile towards our northern neighbours.” Uruha flashed a cute smile at the other man despite the morbid connotation behind his words. “It’s not their fault that their emperor is too ambitious for his own good.”

 

“But that bloody coward won’t accept defeat.”

 

This made Aoi tense up again; he had to gather all his strength not to glare at the man who dared to brand his emperor as a coward. And insult worthy of death back in the North.

 

Uruha must have noticed his tension, so slipped his hand under the table to squeeze Aoi’s thigh, probably with an intention of pacifying him but instead caused him to jerk slightly at the unexpected contact. “Technically, the official deadline is due in eleven days, so we can’t say that Emperor Kai has rejected our demands for sure.” The priest heard Uruha say that and only then simmered down, feeling immense gratitude to the southern emperor for indirectly defending Aoi’s emperor, preserving his last bits of dignity in the eyes of the southerners.

 

“He’s still no match to our Emperor Uruha, and I’m not even talking about battle prowess.” Unrelenting, the owner huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I think His Majesty made a good call by taking hostages and demanding tribute instead of allowing my foolish sons pillage innocent villagers while _he_ would probably not think twice before letting his soldiers loose.”

 

And Aoi knew exactly whom he had meant, familiar agitation rising in him again due to the man’s prejudice because _his_ emperor wasn’t like _this_ at all. However, Uruha’s recurrent caress under the table had once again thwarted his attempt to lash out.

 

“Of course.” The emperor’s sweet smile persisted on his lips as his fingers kept brushing against Aoi’s clothed thigh. “Please forgive me for being blunt, but it’s time we grow out of these barbaric traditions of our forefathers.”

 

“Oh no, Lady Kouyou is always saying very wise things.” One man sitting at the neighbouring table butted in. “It is true that the young emperor only has good intentions for our nation. Although it was his late father who implemented that policy regarding women, it was His Majesty Uruha who encouraged our daughters to study more and sit for imperial examinations.”

 

“That’s quite true.” Agreed the owner. “Though I must say, I’ve lost quite a few capable waitresses because of this.” To which, he earned Uruha’s hearty laugh.

 

“And the emperor could have easily squashed those invaders and seize their land afterwards, but he was merciful enough to just let them go because it wasn’t in the interest of our nation to destroy another,” the patron said thoughtfully. “Lady Kouyou,” he then addressed the emperor in disguise. “Hypothetically, if you were in the emperor’s shoes, would you have prioritized your own interest or your nation’s ones?”

 

“My nation’s ones, obviously.” Uruha gasped, theatrically placing his palm to his chest as if scandalized. “Are you trying to make fun of me, my lord?”

 

“Please forgive this old fool, my lady,” the man feigned a cough, a rosy tint creeping to his cheeks, which - Aoi guessed - didn’t originate from the alcohol consumption but rather from embarrassment. “Of course, a noble person like you would choose the nation’s interests over your own…But what would you’ve done if you had to choose between the kingdom and its people?”

 

“The people, of course,” came an automatic reply.

 

“And if it was between your own mother and your people?”

 

“That’s not the question one should ask a lady!” The owner exclaimed in outrage, but Uruha supposed that it would make a fair question for the imperial examination. He’d remember to relay it to his minister of education afterwards.

 

“It’s fine,” Uruha dismissed it with an elegant wave of his hand. “And to answer your question, one can’t choose between his family, so he’ll offer a third option.”

 

Uruha’s answer certainly piqued the interest of many, and among those who hadn’t got plastered yet, a few even turned around in their chairs to have a better view.

 

“Which one is it, my lady?”

 

“Choose both in exchange for his own life.”

 

“And why is that?” Quirking his eyebrow, the man probed.

 

With the corners of his lips still upturned, Uruha propped his chin up with his fingers clasped together. “Because an emperor only has one mother and he is the father to his people, so he will never give up on either of them.”

 

“And why should the emperor lose his life for someone who isn’t his blood and flesh?” Aoi, who was completely silent up until now, suddenly whispered – more to himself than anyone, but Uruha’s sharp ears picked it up anyway.

 

“Because it’s the people, then it’s the kingdom and only _then_ ,” he stressed on this word,“- the monarch,” stating to nobody in particular, although Aoi knew it was the answer to his question.

 

Surprisingly, he and Uruha were more similar that Aoi had pegged them to be, and to say that his heart didn’t skip a beat treacherously would be a total lie.

 

His aim was to fail the task Uruha had given him so as to prevent the knowledge of a potentially destructive power from being passed down to the southerners; but whatever this current feeling was, Aoi certainly didn’t like the way it made his resolution waver.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> damn, I AM SO SORRY FOR SUCH A LONG BREAK IN BETWEEN CHAPTERS!!! 
> 
> My beta has been really really busy (and is still now), so we decided that for now, I'll be releasing non-betaed chapters :< To compensate that, this is quite a long chapter, approximating 10k words!! 
> 
> warnings: unedited (probs a shitload of mistakes), minor OC

They left the diner when the night spread its ebony shawl over the sky, with stars shimmering along the pitch-black expanse like precious jewels. Bright waxing moon peeked from behind dark clouds, as if urging Aoi and the emperor to play hide and seek with it. Soft wind messed around with Aoi’s wig, gently blowing fake strands to the sides and revealing his own silvery wisps beneath the curtain of black hair. The stream of air caressed his cheeks, as he kept a brisk pace next to Uruha, who was humming some strange tune under his breath, the words sounding completely foreign to Aoi’s ears.

 

On the other hand, the priest was fully immersed in the emperor’s earlier conversation with the patrons at the diner.

 

Done with the semi-philosophical debate, Uruha had urged the others to tell him more about the current affairs of ‘his’ kingdom, when several farmers had started complaining about their poor harvest this year. As Aoi had barely contributed to their conversation, he had had more time to study the emperor’s ever-changing expression as Uruha had reacted to the plight of his people. Frankly speaking, Aoi found the frown marring the emperor’s face more convincing than the younger man’s bold proclamation of his willingness to give up his life for the commoners.

 

Words were a weapon on their own, meant to bewitch the gullible party and thus give the enemy an opening to destroy the former when they last expected it, whereas body language rarely lied.

 

Aoi still chose to believe in Uruha’s concern for his subjects; nevermind, how easily the emperor had dismissed Hiroto’s critical wound, and instead informed Aoi that the priest could have had a new attendant instead. Had it been just a mandatory façade of a cold ruler he was meant to uphold in front of his servants, for him to say such cruel words?

 

Which one was the _real_ Uruha then?

 

Should Aoi still carry out his plan of intentionally failing his task, so as to teach the arrogant emperor a lesson?

 

But then, did he _actually_ have a choice?

 

Regardless of his intentions, if Aoi were to fail to obtain the Tang’s secret, he and the rest of the northerners would most likely have to face dire consequences before Kai could even give the southern emperor his answer. No, Aoi couldn’t afford to gamble on his people’s lives so recklessly, just to appease his selfish convictions. In the end, punishment was the privilege of divinity and their descendants, and Aoi had long understood that he held no such formidable power. Thus, all he could do was to execute the task with his best effort to secure another favour from Uruha.

 

They were fast approaching the palace gates, where one of the emperor’s attendants was already awaiting them. Here, Aoi was finally given permission to discard his black wig, allowing bright moonlight to dance on his fair hair.

 

As they were crossing the Outer Court, servants openly gawked at him, still not used to the sight of such light-coloured hair, but Aoi simply offered them a thin smile in return, as he followed Uruha to the imperial stables; there, they finally mounted their respective horses, which would take them to the Inner Court.

 

Back at the imperial palace, the maids had already prepared the bath for Aoi and the emperor so that they could scrub off the grime and dirt of the downtown. As expected, their bath was more awkward than Aoi would have liked it to be since Uruha stayed silent most of the time, keeping his eyes tight shut as one of the maids washed his hair. On the contrary, Aoi had refused the other maid’s help, silently hoping to see Hiroto instead although Toshiya had already informed him that the boy needed more time to recuperate before he could return to the priest’s service. Thus, Aoi resorted to self-service – which he didn’t mind in the first place, already used to it back home. However, his fingers soon became tangled in his own tresses; his clumsiness seemingly exacerbated by the sudden feeling of Uruha’s eyes on him.

 

The emperor suddenly swatted the maid’s hand away – causing her to yelp in sheer surprise – then closed the distance between Aoi and himself, thereby intruding into the priest’s personal space. Aoi tried his best not to feel intimidated by such bold proximity since he had already spent his whole evening side-by-side with the sovereign. However, there was a remarkable difference in the aura between the emperor and his alter ego, as if they were two separate people, so to say that Aoi was used to having Uruha so close to him would be a grave misunderstanding.

 

“Why do you keep such long hair?” Uruha finally spoke up, feeling several blond strands between his fingers – a gesture that Aoi considered to be a little too invasive for his liking; even though the emperor had already caressed Aoi’s thigh once, which was a much more intimate part of his body, and this seemed to invalidate his discomfort from Uruha touching his hair.

 

“I have the same question for you, Your Majesty.” Aoi decided to compensate his feeling of uneasiness with boldness, knowing that Uruha was more than accommodating about free speech than other monarchs. “What is, no, _was_ your reason for keeping long hair?” he quickly corrected himself, as Uruha could no longer flaunt his beautiful long hair.

 

“Camouflage purposes if you don’t already know.” A smirk blossomed on Uruha’s face. He was clearly amused by the priest’s growing audacity. “But yours would only draw attention to you more, or am I wrong?”

 

“His Majesty Kai likes my hair long,” Aoi replied truthfully, discarding the earlier audacity, so atypical of him. “He says that it will bring forth luck to its owner.”

 

“And you really believed him?” Uruha’s voice showed telltale signs of contempt.

 

Aoi maintained his eyes downcast throughout their conversation. Instead, he watched water ripples form immediately after any – not matter how inconspicuous – shift of their bodies, implying that even the slightest disturbance could disrupt the still surface. Similarly, any insinuation, regardless of their innocent nature, that questioned Aoi’s faith in Kai stirred up a storm in him.

 

Defending **his** emperor’s preferences, the priest stated, “The emperor’s wish is my command.”

 

“And if he told you to drown yourself, would you do it unquestioningly as well?”

 

Aoi didn’t like the direction their conversation was going, but he’d known better than not dignify Uruha with an answer the other one deserved.  

 

“If that’s what His Majesty wishes for, I’ll gladly obey,” he said dutifully, his voice unexpectedly resolute.

 

Yet Aoi still refused to make any eye contact with the emperor.

 

“Liar.”

 

Uruha’s icy tone raised goosebumps on Aoi’s skin, despite the fact that the priest was close to being fully submerged in warm water, trying to avoid the emperor’s intense gaze.

 

“And what warrants Your Majesty to brand me with this rather unflattering title?” Aoi managed to voice out his objection in a collected manner, yet on the inside, he was clearly struck by the other man’s frosty voice; evident by the transitory chill running down his spine.

 

In response, Uruha let go of Aoi’s hair and leaned down to the side of his face, the emperor’s lips sinfully close to the elder’s ear, to the point that the priest could feel Uruha’s warm breath on his skin.

 

“Because you cling to your life just like anyone else despite your heroic ramblings of self-sacrifice.”

 

Indignation painted Aoi’s cheeks bright red. “Your Majesty-” offended, he was about to object again, but Uruha silenced him with a stern look when Aoi finally looked up at the younger man.

 

“Alright, maybe I phrased it a tad incorrectly,” said Uruha. “I have little doubt that you’d sacrifice your life in exchange for your people’s safety.” The emperor coiled his arms around Aoi’s neck, pulling the puzzled man flush against his bare chest. “I’m only saying that you won’t foolishly entertain Kai’s whims despite his emperor status.”

 

These words induced some semblance of peace in Aoi, who momentarily forgot that Uruha was taking liberty of being so intimate with him.

 

However, before he could protest, the emperor broke their physical contact and ordered the maid to bring him a towel.

 

“You can stay longer here if you want,” Uruha told him. “I’ll wait for you in my bedchamber.”

 

Initially, Aoi was supposed to return to his allocated room, but now he was bereft of his personal guard – who happened to be Reita, out of all people – no thanks to a certain _brat_. Nevertheless, there was something reassuring about sharing the bed with the _emperor_ himself, so he didn’t mind this arrangement too much.

 

Perhaps, once Aoi was done with his mission, things would go uphill for him, with no one else trying to attempt on his life again. If the deal went well, maybe he’d also be able to request to see the rest of the northerners as a reward. Afterwards, they would just have to endure till Reita had an opportunity to bring his escape plan into action.

 

But right now, he needed a good night rest before the tomorrow’s showdown.

 

***

 

As most states in this period, the southern kingdom practiced absolute monarchy, their ruler having the power to veto over any propositions coming his way. Yet Uruha was shrewd enough to understand that without his advisors’ support, the government would eventually crumble.

 

Thus, the next morning, Aoi was _kindly_ asked to change into the southern priest’s purple _ikan 1_, so as to somewhat appease Uruha’s royal court, which wasn’t too impressed by their emperor’s decision to appoint a foreigner, let alone their war prisoner, as the driving force in this approaching negotiation.

 

Uruha’s decision to keep their enemy close had already proven to be a polarizing move, with many ministers voicing out their displeasure (politely) to the emperor towards Aoi’s stay in this palace. This time, however, everyone could only kowtow when Uruha set his foot on the floorboards of the courtroom and then crossed this vast space; with Aoi trailing a few paces behind him.

 

Honestly, Aoi preferred the loose _kariginu 2_ to the uncomfortable official garb he was wearing right now; uneasy, he almost tripped on the long fabric, trying to keep pace with the younger man.

 

Having myriads of resentful eyes on him didn’t particularly help his coordination either.

 

The emperor then took a seat on his throne while Aoi assumed the position close by him, notwithstanding the glares directed at him; the fiercest one belonging to none other but Uruha’s younger brother Ruki, whose seat was on the emperor’s left. Aoi exchanged brief glances with Reita, standing by the duke, but quickly averted his eyes when he felt the emperor’s ones on him.  

 

Uruha, nevertheless, didn’t comment on the elder’s suspicious behaviour and instead ordered the guards to bring the ambassador in.

 

The sovereign looked truly majestic today in his black _sokutai 3_ and even traded his beloved tessen for an oak shaku to complete the look for this special occasion. For some reason, he was also covering his face with a veil, though Aoi speculated that it had something to do with keeping his striking blue eyes low profile.

 

Shortly, the Tang assemblage entered the courtroom. Their ambassador was a young man, dressed in the finest silk, as expected of an official of the greatest power in the East. The ambassador and his entourage bowed to Uruha, the gesture that fueled whispers to spread around the room like wildfire.

 

 _‘Did they only **bow**?_ ’, _‘Why didn’t they **kowtow** ?’_ , _‘The morokoshi are really arrogant_ ’ – were just a few among other things, which threw the courtroom into the verbal chaos albeit a semi-hushed one.  

 

Aoi shifted nervously in his spot. Obviously, the foreigners were as not docile as he wished them to be. Admittedly, his mission was growing harder with each passing second.

 

While the Tangs clearly sought audience with Uruha to gain his favour, not the other way round, it didn’t seem like they really held the emperor of Lower Yamato in high esteem. Aoi understood that the Middle Kingdom dominated the eastern region, but for obvious reasons, he didn’t consider such tactlessness praiseworthy at all. Here, in Yamato, the Tangs had no authority and were at mercy of the ruler of these lands.

 

However, Uruha didn’t appear to be bothered by this borderline to disrespectful display. Aoi wondered whether it was due to his ability to see the bigger picture, instead of narrow-mindedly focusing on the foreigners’ superficial display of arrogance.

 

“I hope your trip was calm and restful, my lord,” the emperor started, his velvet voice echoing through the room. “How do you find our kingdom?”

 

“Everything is so beautiful in Lower Yamato, Your Majesty,” the ambassador replied gallantly, using proper honorifics despite his earlier stunt. A sly smile settled on the Tang national’s lips as he continued, “and I’ve heard this applies to Your Majesty as well. Your unparalleled beauty is well-known in the Middle Kingdom, especially the rumours of your eyes, which can make the brightest blue sky look dead and dull to their viewer. It’s a shame that you hide them underneath that old veil.”

 

A series of gasps went through the room: this unabashed flattery was deemed to be totally _unacceptable_. Ruki instantly shot up from his seat. “What insolence, you foreigner!” He angrily pointed his finger at the ambassador, who merely smirked in response.

 

“And this is Your Majesty’s younger brother, His Highness Ruki, I suppose?”

 

“You-” the duke was about to start his tirade, but Uruha silenced him with an outstretched hand, causing the other to pipe down.

 

“Please forgive my little brother for his outburst.”

 

“No offence taken, Your Majesty,” the ambassador crooned, his sharp eyes finally settling on Aoi, scrutinizing his blond hair. “Oh, and is this the infamous Upper Yamato’s High Priest? Fancy seeing you here, Your Grace.” He said in feigned surprise.

“Aoi is my special guest and will be the one leading the negotiations with the Tang Dynasty today,” Uruha said matter-of-factly, earning an amused look from the ambassador.

 

“For a prisoner of war to handle such important matters…Lower Yamato has a really unorthodox approach towards diplomacy,” the foreigner said bluntly and chuckled afterwards, but no one else present in the room seemed to share his sentiments.

 

As Aoi had predicted, the courtroom was once again filled with murmurs of discontent, but the topic now revolved around the Tang having spies in every corner of this kingdom. Aoi was quite sure that Kai gained nothing from boasting about his defeat while Uruha seemed like the type to keep everything discreet. Nevertheless, the fact remained the same: for a hostage to be dealing with important political matters, it was beyond ridiculous and didn’t particularly reflect well on Lower Yamato.

 

However, the southern emperor didn’t seem to be perturbed by this notion; at least, this was what Aoi could gather from his collected tone, since Uruha’s face was covered with the veil, so any expression he made would remain a mystery to the priest and everyone else. “My guest hails from a historically diplomatic country, so I believe that he is more fit for this job than anyone else in this room.”

 

Aoi hoped that Uruha would be able to maintain this cordial demeanour for the rest of this negotiation.

 

“I don’t doubt that Your Majesty has an eye for such things.” The ambassador let out a dry snort. “Aoi-sama’s incredible feat of securing comfort for the northerners is well known across the sea.”

 

“Oh really?”

 

That frosty tone, chilling Aoi to his bones. Speak of the devil.

 

Aoi must have somehow jinxed himself.

 

“What makes it more amusing to us, people of the Middle Kingdom, is that Aoi-sama used our ancestors’ knowledge to end his detainment in prison. Do you know how, Your Majesty?”

 

 _What on earth is he doing?!_ Aoi swore that this ambassador was openly mocking Uruha right now. Didn’t he come here to ask for a bloody _favour_?

 

“Do enlighten me, my lord.” Uruha’s initial cordial predisposition was slowly morphing into a rather sinister one, tension palpable in his voice. If that flimsy fabric wasn’t covering his face, Aoi bet he’d be able to see the emperor’s cold eyes narrow into dangerous slits.

 

“It is said that flowers smell best before the rain,” the foreigner pointed out casually, ignorantly oblivious to the change in mood around him. “Even little kids back home are familiar with this sign.”

 

When one was trying to mend the relationship between two hostile nations, highlighting the emperor’s incompetency didn’t seem like a wise move.

 

Aoi was observant enough to notice the way Uruha’s fingers clasped the shaku tighter at those words. Should he say something to ease off the tension? After all, his people’s fate depended on the outcome of this negotiation, albeit indirectly.

 

The priest sent a sneaky glance in Reita’s direction, but it turned out to be a futile attempt to catch the general’s attention since the man had his eyes fixed on Ruki instead. Moreover, they were out in the open – one wrong move and Reita’s cover might get blown off before they could even blink. So Aoi forced himself to avert him eyes from his compatriot, settling them on the ambassador instead.

 

“You seem to have a solid grasp of the Yamato language, my lord,” Aoi finally spoke up, trying to change their topic to a neutral one, which wouldn’t make the emperor lose his composure. The priest knew that the foreigner was testing Uruha’s patience since technically, the Tang didn’t lose much by not being able to re-acquire Ryukyu. This trip might have been a well-disguised reconnaissance, for all he knew. “Oh, please forgive me for my rudeness, I didn’t even ask for your name.”

 

The priest could feel Uruha watching him closely, though the murderous aura around the younger man started to slowly dissipate.

 

Seemed like Aoi was on the right track.

 

“Zhu Yougui at your service.” The foreigner smiled, shifting his attention to Aoi instead.

 

“And how old is the great Tang ambassador if you don’t mind telling me, my lord?” Aoi tried to build rapport with the man.

 

“It will be my nineteenth year this summer,” Zhu replied cheerfully, drawing shocked gasps from everyone in the room again.

 

 _‘No wonder this brat is so rude’_ , _‘He’s still a whippersnapper’_ , ‘ _Are the Tangs mocking us for sending someone so young?_ ’ – are just a handful of remarks made by the members of the royal court.

 

“Same age as Ruki, huh? Not bad,” Uruha, on the other hand, assessed this quietly to himself, although it didn’t go unnoticed by Aoi.

 

“This must be quite a feat for man of your age,” Aoi genuinely praised him, “to be handling negotiations of such level.”

 

“My father came to our late emperor’s service as a warlord when he was younger than me,” Zhu replied noncommittally. “Age is just a number.”

 

Such eloquence at his age. Aoi knew that this boy wouldn’t be an easy opponent.

 

“And I’m sure even greater achievements await you once you secure the deal with His Majesty,” Aoi said then glanced back at Uruha, waiting for his confirmation. The emperor simply nodded at him to continue. “So let’s start with your offer, Lord Zhu.”

 

Again, the ambassador smiled brightly.

 

“On my emperor’s behalf, I have brought some humble gifts from my homeland for Your Majesty.” He snapped with his fingers, indicating his servants to bring out the goods. Aoi’s eyes feasted on tonnes of gold and jewels of different kind, silks of the finest grade, beautiful ceramic-ware and myriad of scrolls.

 

 _Scrolls_.

 

“This is the most important Tang poetry anthology!” Aoi’s pale hands gingerly held one manuscript, his eyes aglow with excitement; he wanted to get his hands on this relic for so long. His exuberant but somewhat childish reaction drew a laugh from Zhu.

 

“So the rumours of Aoi-sama’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge are also true,” concluded the foreigner.

 

“Let me express my deepest gratitude to your emperor for his generous gifts,” Uruha decided to focus on the deal instead, cutting short the other two’s effort at building rapport. “What would the Tang like in return?”

 

The ambassador’s jovial expression turned into a serious one once it was time to disclose the dynasty’s demands.

 

“As mentioned in the letter we sent to you a month ago, His Majesty Ai would like to re-establish the empire’s trading route with the Ryukyu Kingdom. Our people and the Ryukyuans have been cohabiting on these islands for many decades – we even share similar cultures. Also, many Tang mainlanders still live there, so we would like you to grant us the access to the kingdom.”

 

And all this seemed quite reasonable to Aoi.

 

“The thing is, your presence in Ryukyu doesn’t bother me in the least,” Uruha said, completely honest. “My only concern is the local response to this reform since they clearly didn’t enjoy living under your major general’s despotic rule who kept oppressing the Ryukyuans until my army overthrew him.”

 

“That was a grave miscalculation on our side, for what we apologize to all Ryukyans.” Zhu bowed his head in apology although there were no representatives of that kingdom present here today. “What we desire isn’t taking control over the land again but being able to resume our trade and business there.”

 

“Is that so?” Uruha asked, and then called for Aoi’s attention. “Please tell our overseas guest what Lower Yamato’s two conditions are.”

 

Aoi swallowed hard, casting a regretful look at the ambassador, as if feeling guilty for what he was about to say. “The first condition requires Tang Dynasty to pay a tax for any Tang goods imported into the kingdom. The newly appointed chief of Okinawa will be the one deciding the amount that needs to be paid.”

 

Obviously, money wasn’t a big deal to a wealthy nation like the Middle Kingdom. Seeing the ambassador nod in understanding, Aoi continued, this time much more reluctantly:

 

“The second condition requires the empire to share their current knowledge of ‘black powder’ to Lower Yamato.”

 

At these words, Zhu’s face briefly contorted into a grimace, as if Aoi had hit his sore spot.

 

As expected, it seemed like this ‘black powder’ really was some sort of Tang national treasure that the government guarded with the utmost secrecy.

 

“Black powder?” Zhu repeated absently, looking as if he was trying to compose himself. “Did you mean ‘charcoal’ by any chance?” he asked, though from the way the corners of his lips quivered slightly, it was obvious to Aoi that the ambassador knew exactly what the priest had meant; he was just caught off-guard by this sudden request.

 

“Not just charcoal, but ‘black powder’ specifically,” Aoi corrected him calmly, studying the other’s expression carefully. Although the priest received no pleasure from pressuring the young man, Aoi knew he had to press harder on this topic if he wanted to see his people soon. “It is said that your warlords have used it in the war against the nomadic tribes to your north. So His Majesty is very curious about this...” Aoi gulped before continuing, “-invention of yours.”

 

At first Zhu kept silent. Yet after a moment of deliberation, he emitted a loud sigh, as if accepting his defeat, and finally said:

 

“Ah, you mean _that_.”

 

Everyone’s ears seemed to perk up at this.

 

“I’ll say it honestly that it was first developed for medicinal purposes,” the ambassador revealed. “But that’s not what caught Your Majesty’s interest, am I right?” he said ruefully, a sad smile gracing his lips. “What you’ve probably heard of is the black powder’s use in creation of fire arrows, capable of setting the enemy ablaze from a distance, isn’t it?”

 

“That’s right,” Uruha confirmed with a slight nod.

 

Aoi knew that nothing good came out of this invention. The royal court, however, was waiting with bated breath for the ambassador to continue his revelation. In his peripheral vision, Aoi also noticed that even Reita seemed to have taken interest in this weapon, probably due to being a man of military himself.

 

“It is one of the Middle Kingdom’s Four Great Inventions besides compass, papermaking and printing,” Zhu said. “And probably the deadliest one, as far as I know of.”

 

“Surely, you’d know the formula of this substance,” still not completely satisfied, Uruha pushed further.

 

“I know nothing of such things, Your Majesty,” the other quickly objected.

 

Wrong move. _One does not take the southern emperor for a fool and gets away with that,_ Aoi thought bitterly. Uruha was too perspicacious for his own good. Aoi had been really – and he meant _really_ – lucky to pull that stunt in the dungeon back then.

 

“Then you can relay to your emperor that our deal is cancelled,” came the emperor’s reply.

 

“There’s little I can do about this.” Zhu frowned, crossing his arms against his chest. “I’m just a scholar, so I don’t have the privilege of possessing warfare-related knowledge.”

 

Uruha was still not convinced.

 

“But isn’t it preposterous of you not to be aware of it when your father, the great warlord Zhu Wen, is the one sponsoring the research of this weapon while you, as his successor, oversee these experiments?”

 

Zhu bit his lower lip in response to the other man’s rebuttal. Judging his bothered expression, the emperor clearly had him in a checkmate.

 

Of course, the sly fox had done some prior research on Zhu Yougui as soon as he had seen the name of the Tang ambassador in that letter.

 

“Are you going to threaten or torture me to reveal the secret, Your Majesty?” he asked tensely, his fingers pinching the hem of a sleeve.

 

Uruha emitted a dry chuckle at that. “I could but I don’t have to resort to your beloved _lingchi_ to attain my goals,” he said smoothly. “Violence isn’t always the answer to things, Lord Zhu.”

 

Aoi gave the emperor a confused look.

 

Weren’t these his words to ‘lady Kouyou’ back then?

 

What did Uruha have up his sleeve this time?

 

“You said you are a scholar, my lord,” the emperor recapped. “And as you already know, the northern priest over here is also a scholar. I’ve heard a lot about Tang tradition of holding literary contests for courtiers and guests at banquet - why not hold a battle of wits between you two to broker this deal?”

 

So _this_ was why the emperor needed Aoi.

 

Somehow he had known that it would come to this.

 

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, poetry requires some time to compose,” the ambassador protested. “I’m also at the disadvantage here because the Yamato language is not my mother tongue.”

 

“I concede with Lord Zhu here,” said Aoi. This wasn’t exactly fair play.

 

“But I am interested in the other part of your proposition, Your Majesty.” Zhu, however, didn’t look like he fully rejected the idea. “I’m referring to the battle of wits in general. But first, we should decide on the outcomes for each winner.”

 

“I knew I could reason with you, Lord Zhu,” Uruha said with a short laugh. “My condition is that if Aoi wins, you will have to share the secret formula of ‘black powder’ with us. But of course, I will still let you trade with the Ryukyu Kingdom, and even tell their chief to make the taxes almost negligible for you.”

 

Zhu nodded in understanding and then smirked.

 

“And if I win, I humbly request that you return Ryukyu to us.”

 

This bold demand sent the whole court into an uproar, with generals fuming in particular.

 

“Your Majesty, Ryukyu is a vital strategic point!”

 

“Deal,” Uruha agreed unexpectedly, ignoring the court’s horrified protests. He silenced them with a heavy stomp of his foot. “You can choose anything you want for this contest, Lord Zhu. I shall leave the task of being your opponent in capable hands then.” The emperor gave a horrified Aoi a knowing glance.

 

Zhu seemed to be very satisfied. His face shone with confidence, which wasn’t surprising since the Tang period was a golden age of literature and all things related to it; other nations couldn’t simply parrot the Middle Kingdom’s achievements in this area. “Since poetry isn’t feasible in our situation, let’s ask each other three riddles of your choosing. You have to answer all three of them correctly to win. If not, your conditions are invalid. Does this sound reasonable to you?”

 

“And if it’s a draw?” Aoi asked meekly.

 

“Your Grace doesn’t have to worry about it, as I sincerely doubt it will come to this,” the young ambassador replied smugly. Didn’t seem like he really thought that high of Aoi’s abilities despite his earlier praise. “I hope you like riddles, Aoi-sama,” he said with an arrogant smirk.

 

 _Not under these circumstances,_ Aoi paled. He, however, could only nod as to urge the other man to proceed with the match.

 

“So listen carefully to the first riddle, High Priest,” Zhu warned him. “This is how it goes:

 

_This bridge is built of pearls most fair,_

_High-arching over waters gray._

_It rises swiftly in the air,_

_To the heavens it makes its way._

_The tallest ships can pass below,_

_Yet of all burdens it is free.  
_

_Broad as this bridge may seem to grow,_

_When you draw near it still will flee.” 4_

He finished reciting his first riddle, relishing in the way confusion was steadily spreading across everyone’s faces. It seemed like no one had expected the very first riddle to be this long-winded and hard. The courtroom quickly drowned in murmurs, with everyone trying their best to break the couplets down, latching on every possible clue. Aoi, on the other hand, was looking in prostration, as he couldn’t remember the lines fully, his mind floating astray in nervousness.

 

“Could you please repeat it?” He gave the ambassador a meek smile, berating himself internally for losing his focus.

 

“Sure thing,” Zhu replied, smirking, and repeated the riddle as per Aoi’s request. This time the elder made sure to vacate his mind from unnecessary thoughts, so as to concentrate on solving this puzzle.

 

“The bridge…high-arching….” Aoi mumbled to himself, trying to put two and two together, as he paced up and down the carpeted floor. The rest of the courtroom went silent, seeing a troubled expression form on his face. “Rises in the air…when you draw near it will flee.” He looked up at the ceiling, his eyes focusing on its suspended design as if the answer was written on it. A distance away, Uruha reclined in his throne, propping his cheek with his hand, his head tilted slightly to one side. Although the emperor was yet to say anything, Aoi knew that the younger man was watching him intently, this feeling of being monitored prompting the priest to involuntarily quicken his pace.

 

Something akin to a bridge that arched high over the waters…And no matter how tall the ships were, they would still be able to pass it? Aoi knew that it had to be more or less an abstract being. However, the last clue about it disappearing when someone drew nearer to it finally allowed the priest to formulate his answer.

 

“It’s the rainbow, my lord.” He smiled, when it dawned on him that it must have been this phenomenon.

 

Arching his eyebrows, Zhu emitted a loud ‘hmpf’ and eyed Aoi suspiciously. “This one must have been too easy for you. Did you remember it from somewhere, Your Excellency?”

 

“No, it’s my first time hearing it,” Aoi admitted honestly, shaking his head. “If I had known it before, I would have answered you right away, my lord.”

 

“Fair enough,” the other man seemed to be convinced by this reasoning though a grim expression persisted on his boyish face. “The next riddle may not be as easy as the first one, so brace yourself.”

 

He then drew a deep breath before speaking.

 

_“What is that thing few value much,_

_And yet it graces any hand?_

_Formed to do hurt, its power is such_

_As, like the sword’s, none can withstand._

_It makes wounds, though no blood is shed._

_Robs none, yet brings prosperity._

_Through all the world its rule has spread,_

_Softening life’s severity.” 4_

 

Aoi contemplated into the distance as he recited the lines under his breath. They too, seemed to infer an abstract meaning at the first glance, however, once he repeated the riddle for the third time to himself, his initial conjecture didn’t seem as plausible anymore. ‘Only few value it, but it can grace any hand?’ – did the ambassador mean that many had this in their possession, but not many considered it as a valuable? “Formed to do hurt…its power is like the sword’s.” Aoi examined its interesting parallel with the sword; in contrast to the weapon, it was much more common…

 

The only thing that would come to his mind was some commoner’s tool, since common folk formed the base of any sovereignty and had many tools of little value at their disposal. The next few metaphors of how the tool supposedly ‘made wounds, though no blood was shed’ and ‘robbed none, yet brought prosperity’ further consolidated Aoi’s guess that it was some peasant tool, particularly a farming one; farming tools were extremely cheap and rough on one’s hands but irreplaceable in agriculture, which was the backbone of any kingdom’s economy.

 

And which tool fitted perfectly to that description?

 

“That must be it.” Aoi’s face lit up once he arrived to his final answer after ruling out other options. “The answer is the plow.” And then smiled sheepishly, seeing Zhu’s darkened expression.

 

“You really are a formidable opponent,” the ambassador could only conclude this coolly.

 

Aoi wasn’t sure if he fully appreciated the compliment since it likened him to a threat, when he had no intentions of being one. On the other hand, this statement placated the royal court, who had been untrusting of Aoi up to this point; now, however, they exploded into elated chatter, clearly not foreseeing the prisoner turning the situation to their favour. A few even expressed remorse for doubting Uruha’s seemingly imprudent choice of using an enemy instead of their own minister of foreign relations for this deal.

 

“But it’s still too early to rejoice, ladies and gentlemen,” Zhu pointed out stiffly, annoyed by the sudden change in mood. “The rules stipulate that all _three_ rounds have to be cleared and if you fail to answer the last riddle, it will negate the previous two rounds.”

 

“I will try my best, my lord,” Aoi maintained a cordial tone though his heart was performing a frenzied _kagura_ in his chest.

 

One more obstacle left and he would successfully clear his round.

 

“My last riddle is a bit…personal one, and I can assure you that it will put you in a tight spot,” the ambassador said haughtily, dismissing the glares sent in his direction. “I’ll repeat it for you as many times as you wish, but you have to be able to guess it on your first try.”

 

There was some public outrage at this randomly devised rule, but Aoi knew that he had no choice but agree to it without the emperor’s interference. So far, Uruha hadn’t uttered a word ever since their contest had begun, preferring the role of a mere spectator; that left Aoi with acquiescing to Zhu’s capricious demands. Did the emperor have so much faith in Aoi or was he simply testing his skills?

 

Maybe it was a little bit of both.

 

Aoi nodded to the ambassador, signaling to the other to proceed with the riddle. Zhu cleared his throat demonstratively and then started:

 

_I know a picture fair to see,_

_A picture full of fire and light,_

_This picture changes constantly,_

_Yet it is ever fresh and bright._

_A narrow frame contains it all,_

_Yet all great things that move the heart-_

_Although this picture is so small-_

_They reach us only by its art.” 4_

 

Blood drained off Aoi’s face when the other man finished with his riddle. Although he had paid close attention to its every single line, the riddle made no sense to him on the first recital; his head continued being muddled with questions on subsequent recitals, not showing any progress in solving this riddle.

 

His mind kept racing over and over these lines, shrouded in ambiguity. What was this thing referred to as a ‘picture’? And why was it so ‘small that it could only reach them by its art’?

 

Perspiration trickled down Aoi’s neck, as he racked his brain over this riddle. Glancing up, he saw the ambassador’s lips curve into the familiar self-satisfied smile.

 

Zhu Yougui was the man of his words, he had truly put Aoi in a tight spot.

 

Shuffling back and forth, he analyzed the lines carefully, searching for any hidden meaning in them. So it was supposed to be something that was figuratively referred to as a picture, a very beautiful one in particular, since it was ‘fair to see’. Zhu also accentuated on its size, saying that it was really small, but one’s perception of size was relative…Also, if Aoi had memorized it correctly, the picture was also ‘full of life’ and constantly changing, so surely it couldn’t be some normal painting since all painted pictures were stationary. Could it be some scenic view then? But then it had to be small at the same time.

 

And didn’t Zhu also mention that the riddle could be considered as his personal one?

 

But beauty was in the eye of the beholder! Unless there was an implication of the unanimous consensus on that matter.

 

Like Uruha’s looks.

 

Something small but beautiful and lively, so captivating that it could rival the southern emperor’s beauty, especially his blue eyes-

 

“Eyes!” came an eager exclamation, which caused many ministers nearby Aoi to jolt in surprise.

 

It must be ‘eyes’; even Zhu had mentioned how he would have liked to witness their beauty when he had first exchanged words with Uruha.

 

“Picture full of fire and light but it’s so small…It must be the eyes, well, a singular _eye_ since it’s just one picture,” Aoi corrected his answer in the end.

 

It was now the ambassador’s turn to pale a few shades lighter, not expecting Aoi to actually succeed in the first part of this trial. Zhu’s entourage was equally flustered, few looked like they were on the verge of fainting.

 

“Is his answer correct?” Uruha’s voice, laced with faint curiosity, resonated through the room.

 

“…Yes,” Zhu replied with an almost resigned expression while the courtroom burst into loud cheers and laughter.

 

If Aoi’s ears weren’t mistaken, several ministers and generals didn’t even skimp on a compliment for him. However, silence instantly returned to the room when the emperor struck his shaku against the armrest, thereby calling for order to take place.

 

“The contest isn’t done,” he reminded them in a collected voice. “We’re yet to hear the northern priest’s riddles.”

 

Aoi turned to the brooding Zhu. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for putting the young man into such sour mood. “Riddles aren’t exactly my forte, so forgive me if some are too easy for you. I mean no disrespect.”

 

“Please start,” the ambassador just muttered in response.

 

“Alright.” The priest took a deep breath and started, “This is my first riddle:

 

_“I am a colourful fantasy born on dark nights_

_A delusion of black and bottomless minds_

_A thought that dies in the morning reborn by moonlight_

_What am I?” 5_

 

Before he could even finish reciting his riddle, a grin had already found its place on Zhu’s face. “A fantasy and delusion that only comes at night?” The ambassador chuckled, caressing his chin. “So you weren’t just teasing when you said it would be this easy, Your Excellency. The answer is a dream. ”

 

“I wasn’t trying to underestimate you, Lord Zhu,” Aoi said apologetically while the rest of the room was clearly impressed by the foreigner’s quick thinking.

 

The young man had given his answer almost instantly, his speed surpassing Aoi’s, though some justified this observation by saying that the ambassador’s riddle was far more long-winded and vague, so more time and effort were required to digest it.

 

“You did very well in the first round.” The priest smiled. “And here comes my second riddle:

 

_I can boil like water, but I am not_

_I can run cold, but I am hot_

_A conqueror’s dream is filled with such spots_

_What am I” 5_

 

This time, Zhu spent a little bit more time thinking over his answer, although Aoi didn’t enforce the ambassador’s radical rules such as ‘only one answer permitted’, giving the other free reign to make mistakes.

 

While losing this contest had serious implications for each nation, the priest sincerely wanted them to be a good sport when this ridiculous match ended. Maybe their conditions could be re-drafted somehow, to appease both the winner and the loser, since an increasingly strained relationship was the last thing these two kingdoms needed.

 

However, Aoi only wasted his time contemplating that far since a moment later, the ambassador replied, “A liquid, normally hot but able to go cold, that successful conquerors will have to spill to achieve their dream,” he broke the riddle down. “That is something His Majesty Uruha must be familiar with, right?”

 

Zhu gave the emperor a cheeky smile, to which Uruha showed no reaction.

 

“The answer is blood,” the foreigner concluded then feigned a hurt expression. “Are you underestimating me because of my age, Aoi-sama?”

 

“Of course not, Lord Zhu. But it doesn’t change the fact that I am more than impressed by your intelligence.” Admiration wasn’t sufficient to describe the feeling Aoi had for the boy, seeing how easily he had answered the elder’s riddles, compared to the priest’s much older acquaintances who had showed difficulty doing so. A truly worthy rival, this foreigner was.

 

“My last riddle actually has two answers, which shouldn’t cause you too much trouble. One of them is actually present in this room,” Aoi suddenly divulged, causing Ruki to sprint out of his chair for the second time today.

 

“Hey, you!” He pointed an accusing finger, similarly to what he had done to Zhu earlier this morning. “Are you trying to help our enemy?!”

 

But a loud cracking noise made him retract his rude gesture right away. The duke immediately turned around to the source of the noise, his eyes widening in horror at the sight-

 

Uruha had _split_ his shaku in half.

 

“Oh dear, its quality was probably not that great.” The emperor feigned disappointment before his voice turned cold, as he spoke to Ruki, “There are no enemies in this room, only rivals. Apologize.” It was a firm order.

 

“Please forgive me.” Ruki instantly cowered, feeling embarrassed for the first time today when all the eyes in the room were fixed on him. In reality, most were giving him sympathetic looks instead of reprimanding ones, since everyone was more overwhelmed by Uruha’s ire.

 

“ _Who_ should forgive you?” the emperor queried.

 

“Please forgive me, Lord Zhu.”

 

“ _Sit down_ ,” Uruha commanded then turned to the ambassador. “Please accept my deepest apologies again, my lord. My foolish little brother didn’t mean to offend you.”

“None taken.” Zhu forced a smile, though his eyes were looking at the emperor warily; they constantly shifted from Uruha’s delicate-looking hands to the broken scepter before laying on the priest, paralyzed at his spot. “Aoi-sama?”

 

Zhu’s voice called Aoi out of his reverie. “Sorry,” said the priest, after giving Uruha a perturbed glance. After all, the sovereign’s earlier reaction had affected everyone equally. He sighed heavily. “As I was saying, there are two answers to this riddle and any is fine by me, my lord. And this is how it goes:

 

_I am your master and your slave as well_

_A warm fire and a cold spell_

_With the power to crown you a king and release you from this hell 5_

_Who am I?”_

 

Aoi wasn’t sure whether he had crossed the line by choosing this riddle. To solve it, one might need to possess knowledge of the Middle Kingdom’s folklore. However, his other – more personal answer - still fitted the context of the original story.

 

“I’ll admit honestly that you’ve put me into quite a difficult situation right now,” said the usually over-confident ambassador. Ugly wrinkles marred his youthful face, beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, as he said, “Someone who is a master and a slave at the same time, hot but cold as well, capable of turning you into the most powerful man and release you from this hell?”

 

“I confess that I’ve stolen all these riddles from your people’s folklore, Lord Zhu.” Aoi gave him an encouraging smile. “Maybe this will help you solve it. Also,” he reminded, “the alternative answer is present in this room.”

 

“Your Grace.” The other man suddenly smirked, although he was frowning just a second ago. “I really appreciate your help, but I doubt that most in this room do.” The ambassador reminded Aoi the situation they were in – it was no friendly match, as the outcome of their negotiations heavily depended on it. And if the priest hadn’t forgotten, Zhu would have been more than delighted to see the older man lose the contest.

 

Despite his earlier hostility, the ambassador’s gaze softened for some strange reason. “But **my** people’s folklore, you said?”

 

The next few minutes passed like hours, in the suffocating silence, as everyone watched Zhu Yougui expectantly: his entourage hoping that he would solve the riddle, the rest of the room – exactly the opposite. On the contrary, Aoi wished to remain neutral since he was simply caught in an affair between two foreign to him kingdoms. What he had been unable to do though, was deny a sliver of hope in him that wished for the ambassador to stay clueless, since Aoi’s victory would help him cultivate goodwill with Uruha; the only one who could offer the northerner substantial protection in this land, until Reita got them out of here.

 

Although the idea of southerners getting their hands on a lethal weapon didn’t necessarily please Aoi, he had to prioritize his people’s well being at this point in time.

 

When Zhu finally parted his lips, everyone including the priest looked at him in anticipation.

 

“I honestly don’t know, Aoi-sama.” The ambassador sighed in resignation. “What’s the answer?”

 

With this, a cacophony of cheers and laughter broke out in the courtroom.

 

And Aoi thought his smile couldn’t get any wider.

 

“I’ll let you think about it,” was his mischievous reply.

 

Zhu gave him an amused look in response, the corners of his lips twitching into a similar smile, albeit a slightly more bitter one. He was a good sport, after all.

 

“Then do you admit defeat, Lord Zhu?”

 

Both scholars whirled around to face the emperor, who was now gliding towards them, the back piece of his sokutai dragging across the floor.

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The ambassador bowed customarily. “And I will fulfill our deal as agreed.”

 

Aoi swore that he could catch a glimpse of Uruha’s smile behind his veil.

 

“Both of you did very well today,” said the emperor. “So let’s celebrate this occasion accordingly.”

 

***

 

One thing that Aoi was absolutely sure about Lower Yamato was that its people knew how to make feasts come _alive_. There was a surplus of food on the tables while the whole hall was abuzz; the southern officials were absorbed in lively (and probably drunken) chatter, as everyone celebrated Lower Yamato’s successful deal with the Tang Dynasty.

 

Zhu’s entourage, however, didn’t look as overjoyed, judging their sullen faces as they ate in silence, rarely exchanging words in their language .

 

On the other hand, the Tang ambassador seemed like he was having a time of his life despite his humbling defeat.

 

Zhu Yougui was happily sharing the table with the southern emperor himself, his younger brother and Aoi, the ambassador’s face flushed from drinking a copious amount of sake, which he likened to the Tang _choujiu 6_. Flickers of mischief danced in his eyes, as he watched a _shirabyoshi 7 _performance in front of him.

 

“What better entertainment exists than the dance of beautiful ladies?” It was one hearty laughter. “One question though, Your Majesty: why are they all dressed as _men_? The concept seems like quite a crowd-pleaser too,” he observed.

 

“I’m afraid I have no answer for this, my lord,” Uruha replied truthfully, sipping on his sake underneath his veil. “But I guess with time, different arts flourish and shirabyoshi is just one of them.”

 

“These performers seem to favour Buddhist chants a lot as well,” Zhu remarked thoughtfully, as he listened closely to their slow, rhythmic incantations. “I am quite surprised to see the influence of Buddhism so widespread outside the Middle Kingdom.”

 

“Public interest in Buddhism here has grown markedly after the monk Kuukai’s return from your empire,” said the emperor. “We also don’t have restrictions on religions, so everyone is free to believe in whatever gods they want, though most are still leaning towards Shinto, since it’s the native religion here.”

 

“What about Upper Yamato, Your Grace?” the ambassador addressed this question to Aoi, who had been similarly entranced by shirabyoshi’ _s_ innovative concept. “Is Buddhism also popular there?”

 

At first Aoi wasn’t sure if he was supposed to discuss the situation at home when he was still technically an enemy in Lower Yamato. Especially, when Ruki was shooting daggers at him from behind his _sakazuki 8_. However, a light caress on his knee underneath the table urged him to answer the other man’s question.

 

Lately, Uruha had been strangely encouraging. Was it all to coax Aoi into accomplishing the task today?  

 

“Although the imperial family practices Shinto as their main religion, there has been an increased number of Buddhist followers lately in the North,” he replied, palming his knee furtively. The spot where the emperor had just touched him still burned, even though this wasn’t the first time Uruha initiated this type of contact.

 

Must have all been the alcohol’s doing, that’s right.

 

“What’s your view on it, Aoi-sama? Do the Buddhist teachings clash with your beliefs?”

 

Aoi shook his head. “Not at all. I think it’s a great way to examine faith from another point of view.” A small smile appeared on his lips. “I personally enjoy reading grandmaster Kuukai’s works and even learned one of his poems.”

 

“If only our onmyoji was present here for this discussion right now. It’s a pity that he has some business to attend to in another province.” Uruha said while Ruki, who was sitting next to him, sighed in lament – the duke had only joined the feast under the ‘insistence’ of his older brother. “But a poem, you said? Do tell us, High Priest.”

 

“If you don’t mind,” Aoi replied with a slight nod of his head, faint colour creeping up his cheeks as the trio fixed their eyes on him. For some reason, reciting a poem right now felt more embarrassing than telling a riddle in front of the whole court. Could have been just due to the current intimate set-up, with everyone in such close proximity to him.

 

Aoi took a deep breath and said, “The poem is called _Iroha_ and it goes like this:

 

_Although its scent still lingers on_

_The form of a flower has scattered away_

_For whom will the glory_

_Of this world remain unchanged?_

_Arriving today at the yonder side_

_Of the deep mountains of evanescent existence_

_We shall never allow ourselves to drift away_

_Intoxicated, in the world of shallow dreams.” 9_

 

Uruha was the first to comment after Aoi had finished his recital.

 

“I believe I’ve heard it before. It’s a perfect panagram, isn’t it?”

 

“A beautiful recital, but my grasp of the Yamato language is still poor, so I don’t think that I can appreciate the poem properly,” the ambassador admitted shyly, the existing flush on his cheeks deepening from embarrassment.

 

“Not at all. We’re very impressed by your current level, Lord Zhu,” the emperor reassured him then propped his chin on his interlocked fingers. “Like how we are all impressed by your knowledge in alchemy.”

 

Needless to say, it would have to come to this. Of course, there was no reason for Uruha to throw such a grand celebration if it wasn’t for the actual deal.

 

Aoi’s jovial mood was dampened slightly by their change of topic, and if his eyes weren’t betraying him, a strange expression briefly crossed Zhu’s face before the man broke into a lopsided grin.

 

“Your Majesty,” the ambassador crooned almost nauseatingly, sake evident in his voice. “Unfortunately, I don’t have necessary scrolls on me. But, fortunately for you, I have the formula right here.” He tapped on his head with his index finger. “Let’s see, hmmm…”

 

“Aoi,” was all Uruha had to say for the priest to get the cue that he was supposed to be memorizing some crucial information right now. But shouldn’t they do this at another time when they were sober, without extra audience around them as well? It wasn’t like many would eavesdrop their conversation anyway, but this wasn’t exactly a conducive environment for passing a national secret to others.

 

“So,” Zhu droned, placing the index finger to his lips as if contemplating. “The existing formula consists of sulfur, realgar, saltpeter and-” He counted the ingredients by methodically crooking his fingers on his other hand. “-honey, I believe.”

 

“Honey?” Ruki raised his brow in disbelief. “It can’t be.”

 

“Impossible,” Aoi chimed in.

 

“It is what it is, my lords.”

 

“You aren’t taking me for a fool, are you, Lord Zhu?”

 

There was some eerie calmness in Uruha’s voice that unnerved Aoi slightly, yet it didn’t seem to bother the ambassador who maintained his beaming expression.  

 

“I wouldn’t dare, Your Majesty. I swear by my head.” He gave the emperor a disarming smile. “If that placates you, I will send a messenger with the scroll to you immediately on my return.” Zhu then called for one maid who was standing close by. “His Majesty and I are about to seal our deal by exchanging sake and there’s none left.” And pointed at their empty cups with a scandalized look.

 

Uruha decided not to comment on this and merely went with the flow.

 

The maid hastily brought a newly filled _tokkuri 10_ and poured some into Zhu’s and the emperor’s cups.

 

“To the strong relations ahead.” Zhu raised his cup cheerfully.

 

***

 

The feast ended two hours later and soon the crowd dispersed to their abodes. With Uruha’s permission, Aoi walked the ambassador to his temporary quarters at the other end of the palace. The emperor himself had gone off to the imperial harem, the thought that had made Aoi realize that he’d been spending all nights in the emperor’s bedchamber recently when the younger man probably had his needs. Was Uruha going to invite a concubine to his room afterwards?

 

Although Aoi was acquainted with the desires of flesh, he was rarely tempted to actually act on them, making him fairly inept in this area. Out of curiosity, he had experienced late night intimacy with one miko at his shrine when they had both been sixteen; she was a dainty lady and they still maintained an amicable relationship. Admittedly, it had felt good, but Aoi had realized on the same night that this type of worldly pleasures didn’t particularly interest him.

 

However, there had been no mistaking in that tight coiling of his stomach, when he had shamelessly fantasized about Uruha back in the baths, on the night of his attempted assassination; in the emperor’s female camouflage, obviously, but this still didn’t negate the fact he had done it.

 

And to think that they shared a bed on so many nights…

 

“Are you feeling unwell, Your Excellency?” Zhu’s voice interrupted Aoi’s indecent train of thoughts. “Did you have too much to drink?”

 

“Ah, no, I’m fine,” Aoi reassured him with a smile. It was time to push those thoughts to the darkest recesses of his mind. “I’m sorry for making you worry, my lord.”

 

“Not at all. Also, you didn’t have to walk me to my room.” The other man chuckled. His allocated bedchamber was drawing nigh. “I also wanted to express my gratitude for today’s match, although you gave me quite a trouble there, Aoi-sama.” Zhu’s voice, however, was void of malice.

 

“You were indeed very impressive today, Lord Zhu.”

 

“Your Excellency flatters me so.” The younger man’s laughter rang through the hallway. However, soon his face adopted a more pensive expression. “Also, I was unable to tell you this earlier at the banquet but I’m sorry about your situation in the North.”

 

Aoi gave him a thin smile in return. “So far, His Majesty Uruha has only been benevolent to me.” And it wasn’t exactly a lie.

 

“Though his ambitions triumph his kindness, don’t you think so?”

 

The sudden drop in the ambassador’s voice got Aoi slightly alarmed, though he quickly brushed off that feeling upon seeing a smile blossoming on the other man’s face again.

 

“I’m not worthy to judge that, Lord Zhu,” came the prisoner’s neutral reply. The palace had ears, so he couldn’t let his mouth loose here. Maybe he should just get back to their initial topic. “I didn’t mean to humiliate you today in front of everyone though.”

 

“Oh no.” Zhu objected quickly. “I’ve learned a _lot_ today: that riddle, the answer to which you wouldn’t share with me, and the poem later at the feast. What were the poem’s last two lines?”

 

“ _We shall never allow ourselves to drift away; intoxicated, in the world of shallow dreams_?” Aoi repeated, dark eyes looking at the ambassador questioningly, since he couldn’t pinpoint what was so significant in those lines. To Zhu, at least.

 

“Yes, that!” The ambassador’s face lit up. “Do you really think that some ambitions let us astray, to the point that we stay wrapped in those shallow dreams of ours?”

 

“There’s a certain danger to those ambitions,” Aoi conceded, still unable to figure out why this had captivated the foreigner’s attention. The man’s literary interest couldn’t have been the sole reason. “Why’s that, my lord?”

 

“What if we keep staying forever in those shallow dreams and never wake up again?”

 

Apprehension washed through Aoi at those words.

 

“Such a grisly thought, Lord Zhu,” he muttered, thoroughly disturbed.

 

“Can’t help it, Your Excellency.” Another disarming smile.

 

They had now reached the ambassador’s temporary abodes.

 

“It’s been real pleasure conversing with you, Aoi-sama, and I shall see you again before I leave for the empire.” There were tiny crinkles around his eyes as he smiled. “Please visit the Middle Kingdom when you…are able to, I suppose.”

 

“I sure will.” Aoi assured him. “Have a restful night,” he said then started to make his way back to the emperor’s bedchamber once Zhu’s form disappeared behind the door.

 

At this point in time, silence would normally fill up the palace with everyone gone into hiding, scattered to their rooms; with exception for guards on their night shifts, of course.

 

Thus, Aoi certainly didn’t expect a pandemonium of voices at the entrance of Uruha’s bedchamber.

 

The guards were shouting unintelligibly to one another, several maids were sobbing as they covered their tear-stricken faces with their dainty hands, and if Aoi wasn’t mistaken, Toshiya was giving out loud, exasperated commands, as the priest caught the glimpse of the other man’s robes inside the room.  

 

Utterly confused, he caught one maid by her hand and asked:

 

“What on earth happened here?”

 

The poor girl immediately wiped away her tears, seeing the emperor’s special guest peering at her with demanding eyes. Her voice cracked slightly as she cried:

 

“His M-Majesty Uruha was poisoned.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaand I gotta tell you guys that Zhu Yougui is not really an OC per se, but an actual historical figure who lived in Tang Dynasty during that period. Yup. Also, his father was the warlord Zhu Wen as mentioned in this chapter. However, the rest is completely fictious, and Yougui's real history is much more complicated than this :))) 
> 
> As usual, some terminology explained in this chapter (i think it makes more sense to put this at the end instead of the beginning lol):
> 
> 1) ikan - court wear for the ministers/officials  
> 2) kariginu - loose, informal wear for the ministers/officials  
> 3) sokutai - a complex attire worn by aristocrats and emperors at the imperial court, normally composed of complex robes, the scepter (shaku) and a hat (kanmuri)  
> 4) These riddles are taken from the story of [Princess Turandot](https://www.storiestogrowby.org/story/three-riddles/), presented by Elaine L. Lindy. The origin of this story is varied, however, and it's normally included as a part of the famous Arabian Nights story collection.  
> 5) These riddles are taken from the same story of Princess Turandot, but from another presentation of this story, as shown in [One Thousand and One Nights](https://mangarock.com/manga/mrs-serie-14517) manwha written by Jeon JinSeok (loosely based on the Arabian Nights). The original answer to Aoi's last riddle is the princess herself, however, we all know who can be the alternative answer to this riddle ;)  
> 6) choujiu - a Chinese alcoholic beverage made from glutinous rice.  
> 7) shirabyoshi - female dancers who performed in the Japanese imperial court in the late Heian era (~12th century AD), so I'm a bit off with the timeline here (but who cares, it's fiction lol). They normally dressed up as males and incorporated Buddhist chants in their performances.  
> 8) sakazuki - a flat, saucer-like cup meant for drinking sake.  
> 9) okay, to be fair, the poem "Iroha" is erroneously credited to the monk Kuukai. Otherwise, it is famous for being the perfect panagram. The English translation is credited to Professor Ryuichi Abe and you can find it in his book "The Weaving of Mantra: Kûkai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse" (1999)  
> 10) tokkuri - a flask that holds sake. part of the sake set together with sakazuki.


End file.
